Coven of Solitude
by distinctlyforbidden
Summary: In 1692 the six descendants of Ipswich were hunted down in the Salem witch hunts. Six survived, five remained, but one went unmentioned. Bella Swan isn’t like most girls.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Coven of solitude

**Summary:** In 1692 the six descendants of Ipswich were hunted down in the Salem witch hunts. Six survived, five remained, but one went unmentioned. Bella Swan isn't like most girls.

What if there were six descendants of Ipswich…What if Chase had a sister?

**Genre: Supernatural/General**

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a/n This takes place directly after the movie.

a/n Now I realise that many of you probably haven't seen this movie. But I may *wink* have added the link on youtube to the movie on my profile.

a/n You don't have to watch it to read this. I will make all important facts known.

a/n Give this a chance it's my first venture into something non-twilight.

a/n A few things that are different with my characters. One, Bella is a lot less shy. She's actually quite bold, and because of her upbringing and the fact that she's related to Chase she's a little jaded.

a/n Chase is not as sadistic as in the movie. Also he is not as addicted as he was in the movie. If his character is going to last, he can't go around ageing now can he?

a/n Chase & Bella's relationship does not have a strong foundation, but they do have a connection (brother and sister bond so to speak), over time their relationship will develop.

a/n Oh and a big one, for creative reasons they are both still 17. In the movie Chase had turned 18 and ascended, here that will be a ways off.

a/n Edward is also going to have to be changed a bit. In the series Edward was entranced by Bella because she was so 'mysterious'. The same is still true but for a different reason. What I mean is in Twilight Edward would not necessarily go for this version of Bella. But for the sake of my story, he does now.

a/n Everyone else is the same except Jacob. Now, I don't particularly hate Jacob, but I'm pretty sure he won't show up in this one.

a/n Oh and most importantly Edward does not have a strong pull towards Bella's blood. He will have a strong pull to…other things.

**a/n This story contains liberal expressions of language and it may be offending. It's still rated T, because I feel it isn't harsh enough to warrant an M rating, but, like Daniel Radcliffe says BE PREPARED!**

a/n REVIEW at the end!

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Chapter 1- Inattentive demise

_No one really knows how The Power came to be._

_Not even the Book of Damnation recorded its beginning._

_But those who mastered it have always been hunted._

_In the middle of the 17__th__ Century, many escaped the brutal Witch-hunting in England and France by coming to America._

_As the brutal persecution of those with The Power spread throughout Massachusetts, the families of Ipswich formed a Covenant of silence._

_For 300 years it had kept them safe._

_Until Chase._

_Now, it's their turn._

Bella Swan sat back in the leather seat as she finished flipping through the many radio stations that her brother's car provided.

"There's nothing but crap on the radio these days," she sighed.

Chase turned to take in his sisters' chagrined expression, "Well, what do you expect, there aren't many talented people out there anymore."

She caught the implication immediately. "Talented like you?" She joked, rising an eyebrow in question.

He smiled impishly while focusing on the road, "that is true, but not what I meant."

She smiled to herself and murmured a soft, "sure." She knew that her brother could be a real ass sometimes but he tried his best to dial it down for her. She appreciated it all the same since there was nothing she hated more than the know-it-all, cocky Chase.

Chase's fixed gaze lessened as he continued driving. Bella was the only one that could make fun of him without being on the receiving end of his temper. She was the master of calm always reining him in whenever he seemed to get out of control; it was a sweet quality, if he chose to recognize it. He only let it slide because he knew how much it irked her when he was his smug arrogant self, and frankly, he owed it to her.

The car passed the large green sign that said _Welcome to South Dakota_.

Chase refused to concede that he was running away. If it hadn't been for the fact that Caleb had received his father's power at the last moment, then he would have for sure gained his power and finished him off.

Bella sighed against the silence and leaned her head against the cold glass window. She was a little put off with her brother's escapades. Since their parents had never been involved in their lives she had started to take the 'responsible role', only now that they were both seventeen it was a lot less cute. She wished that Chase would grow up, take his head out of his ass and stop acting like a spoilt little child.

Trying to get comfortable, Bella raised her legs and rested them on the dash board. It had been a long ass drive so far, and they were only halfway there.

"Let's stop somewhere…" She said in open invitation.

"Where?" Chase asked, feigning interest.

"I don't know, just, somewhere."

He looked at her, momentarily taking his eyes off of the road. "And where is somewhere?"

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know somewhere new."

Chase looked back at the road. Since their parents had abandoned them, they had been entrusted to the state and adopted separately by at least a half dozen families. It was hard for Bella, trusting each set of parents only long enough for them to lose interest and dump her off at the next chancing orphanage. For Chase he was lucky enough to have found the Collins'. Although he only trusted people as far as he could throw them, when Chase had finally decided to track down his biological parents he was met with a pleasant surprise; answers.

Now seventeen they were both free to drift as they saw fit. The fiasco, with 'the sons of Ipswich' had left him with a severe itch for revenge, but it needed to be addressed slowly. Their last confrontation was a dangerous and almost deadly one.

They came close to an Ihop and Bella squealed like a little girl, "Ohhh let's get pancake's. It's been so long since I've been allowed to have them."

Chase didn't have the heart to deny his baby sister anything. _Besides_, he thought, _they had been driving for most of the day and needed to eat_.

He pulled into the pancake restaurant and parked. They both got out of the car and went inside.

Bella slid into one of the plastic seats and unfolded one of the large menus. She looked over the many options available and decided on a fruit themed pancake.

Chase picked up a menu also, and examined the unhealthy meals as if they were poisonous. He put it down after a short while an opted only for a drink.

Bella leaned back gingerly in her seat and stared across the table at Chase. She was contemplating asking where they were going but she knew there was a large chance that Chase would just ignore her and not answer the question. He had a strange habit of withholding information until it suited him to divulge it. Another one of his little quirks but Bella could live with it as long as she got to spend some time with her big brother, and experience a little freedom.

A plump waitress came to their table just then and pulled out her note pad, "What can I get you?" she asked with a pen poised over a fresh sheet of paper. Her wide eyes and eager expression left the impression that she either really liked her job, or she had consumed too much of the free syrup.

Bella made her decision and ordered the pancakes while Chase settled for a coke.

"So...where are we going?" Bella tried after she had received her food. She stabbed a fork into the mushy mass and stuck it into her mouth, revelling in the flavour.

Chase stared off into the distance; he was debating whether or not he should tell her what he was planning. Bella had a tendency to complain about the smallest of things, and he knew that although they had grown up in one she would not appreciate another small town.

Bella sighed and shoved a fork-full of fruit into her mouth, _why did she even bother on asking?!_

Chase picked up on her rapid mood change and realised than with his sister he couldn't always leave her in the dark.

"It's this small town in Seattle, you've never heard of it and neither has the rest of the world."

Bella frowned into her pancakes, she was reluctant to stay in another small town, but what was bothering her the most was Chase's obvious bitterness. She knew her brother hated hiding, but after the fire...things changed.

"A small town could be fun," she said in hopes of turning the mood that had settled down on the table. She realised too late that Chase was already brooding and unlikely to even hear her.

Bella fished the rest of the meal into her mouth and put her fork down. Chase was still staring off into the distance; he hadn't even touched his coke. As stealthily as she could Bella picked up the ketchup bottle at the edge of the table and opened it. Not-very-silently she squirted a long string of bright red ketchup in Chase's face.

He immediately stood up and raised a hand to wipe the mess from his features. "BELLA!"

She shrank away from him and he immediately softened his features. He pulled her chin that was resting on the table up only to find her laughing excessively. Her whole frame shook as she made loud guffaws at his expense. Chase's feature's hardened again and he stood up and began walking to the car.

Bella looked up to find herself alone in the restaurant and several people were looking round wondering what all the commotion was about. Bella didn't own the patience needed to consider them as she snapped up so quickly that her bag fell to the floor with a 'smack'.

"Shoot," she muttered as she threw they contents of her life back into the bag. Everything she could ever need was always at hand that was the way she preferred it.

She left, but not before leaving a twenty on the counter for their meal. She had tried to dine and dash before, and it had not ended so well. A night in jail and the disapproving look on her adoptive parent's faces were not what she was looking forward to in her new bout of freedom.

She stepped out of the restaurant and found Chase waiting in the car, for a second there she had feared that he had left her, it wouldn't have been the first time.

Bella slid into the car and dropped her bag at her feet, "let's get a movin'," she said in hope of getting in his good graces.

Unfortunately, it had taken sheer will for Chase to not leave her in the middle of nowhere. He was not one for silly shit, and Bella's fun and games were becoming more than he could copiously handle.

Chase started up the car and drove out; they still had a long way to go before getting to Forks.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Moving up and moving on

"This is the house you bought?" Bella asked from the downstairs while Chase was busy upstairs.

"Yeah?" he questioned, was there something wrong with it.

He decided to voice his concerns.

"No, it's just a little small." Bella replied.

"Well, it wouldn't be very inconspicuous for us to buy a mansion would it?" Chase said descending the stairs. Since the fifth blood line hadn't died off like everyone had been left to believe Chase and Bella were just as rich as Bill Gates. The only difference was that they hadn't been able to touch their money until they were seventeen. Now they were thanking John Putnam and Goodie Pope for their lovely contributions.

"I expect we'll be using your car?" Bella questioned.

Chase gave her a half smiled and nodded his head slowly, "without a doubt."

Bella smirked a little at the gleam that came into Chase's eye when he said that, she was fully aware of the small crush Chase had on his car, she was not allowed to eat or ever breathe on the leather. In fact, she had nearly been thrown out when she had put her feet on the dash.

She walked around the remaining space and finished upstairs picking out her room; she made sure it was the one with the best view; the only drawback was a large tree off to the side of the house.

"Where are we going to get our things?" She called to Chase who was in his room.

He popped his heading my door and smirked, "I'm having some things delivered later this week so it will be less awkward."

"K," She said and went about finding some sheets. The house was already semi-furnished, only lacking some key appliances to be considered their home.

Bella found some sheets and took them up to her room; it would make things more comfortable to sleep on a bed and not just a mattress.

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Bella woke the next morning sans Chase's presence. She went around from room to room looking but there was no trace of him.

Bella sighed and decided to get ready for the day, there wasn't much to do in such a small town, and she was contemplating what exactly was in store for her next week when she and Chase were to enter into their last year of high school. She remembered the argument she had gotten into with Chase over the entire ordeal.

"_We have to finish anyway, why don't we just do it here?" Chase had argued, trying fruitlessly to get Bella to consider the small town high school._

"_It's probably a hick town. Why in god's name –no pun intended- would I want to go there?"_

_Chase shook his head while keeping a steady eye on the road. They were almost there, just outside of Forks when he felt he couldn't keep it from her any longer. He had expected similar reaction, but he knew Bella, and he knew that he would have to talk her into it by the time they got there._

"_It's not a hick town, and well, what do you want, to be a high school drop out?"_

_It was extremely difficult for Chase to play the role of concerned parent, especially since he didn't give a flying fuck about school. But he knew that Bella was the type of person who needed a little motivation to do something, and if he didn't register, than she wouldn't either._

"_You're not making a very convincing argument Chase Collins." Bella mocked from her side of the car._

_Chase scowled, "If you ever want to go to Dartmouth then you'll finish school."_

_Bella rolled her eyes but shut up. She couldn't deny the small urge she had to attend the school and make something of herself. So much of this cursed life revolved around money and power. For once she wanted to have a different kind of power._

"_Knowledge is power," she mumbled. _

_Chase smirked at her defeat and pushed down on the accelerator a little harder._

Now home alone, Bella was beginning to feel hungry. She severely doubted that this town had a fast food restaurant of any sort and the possibility of a drive-thru was laughable. She sighed; she would just have to settle for a small diner.

Bella stepped outside to the cool March weather and immediately went for the car, only to find it missing. She cursed herself internally; Chase had taken the car and left her stranded in the middle of nowhere.

She sighed but did not go back inside. If anything, this whole experience had taught her to learn to be independent and not depend on her powers or others to help her.

Bella huffed as she began walking down the road; she might not agree with the not using her powers but that was a necessary utility to keep her alive.

About half way to the diner she had noticed on the way into town did it start to rain. She stopped walking and groaned, it was raining and she had not worn a shirt that would keep her even remotely warm.

_It's just my lucky day; _she thought to herself and picked up her pace, trying to move as fast as she could so that she didn't get too wet.

The moss covered trees and small underdeveloped road were small clues as to where she had moved to. Bella sensed that here a clear sky was a rare occurrence and nodded her approval when she came across a particularly large tree.

_What have I gotten myself into? _She thought, there were limits to being exiled but this had to be the absolute worst.

The concrete that led her path cut through the beautiful scenery until there was nothing left. In some ways she wanted to be left alone in the woods, surrounded by nature, so that she didn't have to be ruled by all of the cruel features of life. The realities made it clear that this was no wonderland. This was liberty at its worst, locked up and imprisoned. This was societal structure.

_Screw this_, Bella said to herself, and started up the road towards the small diner that was now in sight. It was tiny and mostly vacant and when Bella stepped into the establishment everyone seemed to stare. No matter that she looked different, because she knew she did (compared to them anyway), but they must not see new people much of the time up here, hell, she must have been the first new face any one them had ever seen since being born into this dreary old town.

She sat herself down at a nearby table and waited for the waitress to appear, she seriously doubted making the move to such a populated place so soon was a good idea. Most of the people in the diner were still fixated on her as if she were the most fascinating thing in the world right at this moment. She wondered to herself if she should jump onto the tables and break into an Irish jig. Would that change their forlorn expressions?

Bella eased back into her chair and wondered if she would ever get used to this town. It seemed as if wherever she went she was stared at, and she was bloody sick and tired of the damn double standard.

She plunked her feet down angrily atop the table and leaned back, waiting to be severed. If they were going to stare then she'd give them a reason.

A small little woman who had been scratching away at her weekly bingo cards jaw dropped. Her old little frame was shock still as she watched the out-of-towner recline in the seat with her feet up. In all of her years, she had never seen such a thing up close.

Bella smirked as she noticed a portly old man frown over his Sunday crossword puzzle. Distaste was clearly written all over his face as her pretended not to watch her. Almost immediately a pointedly tall woman came out from somewhere near the kitchen. She looked as scattered as her appearance and, Bella quickly noticed, was not at all pleased that someone had put their feet on her precious table. She made a point to tell her so when she came upon Bella's table.

Bella snorted but did as the high maintenance waitress asked. She guessed that she probably had a couple of hyper-active kids at home who she was used to telling what to do.

Bella had had her fare share of over bearing 'parents' and after she had finally gained her independence she was not willingly going to give it up.

"I'll have the tuna sandwich," she said non-essentially and eyed the salt shaker at the end of the table.

The waitress, whose nametag read _Tina,_ twisted her mouth in distaste. She was highly offended at this youth's obvious disregard of common manners and was ever more put off that she had addressed her as if she was some uncommonly servant.

Tina slowly removed a note pad from the front apron pocket that made up her uniform and took it out to write down the order. She severely did not want to ever serve this girl, but she was raised to be a somewhat kind individual and would not throw her out on the street.

"Anything else?" She asked with a little attitude. Despite her customers' insincerity and obvious arrogance that they even offered tuna sandwiches she looked to be a girl of only sixteen or so. It was pity more than anything else.

Bella's head snapped up at the waitresses tone. She knew pity when she saw it and apparently she looked needy enough for this waitress. The blatant insult was more than she could take so she nodded sharply without another word. She was afraid that if she spoke she would end up cursing some vile profanity at the snotty waitress and end up in some mild version of jail.

_Some people, _Bella exclaimed in her head as the small bell of the door dinged in recognition of a new customer. With a surely frown she looked over to the door to see an average boy with blond hair and blue eyes walk through.

She turned herself around and faced the table once more; the boy was of average looks and probably personality too. Bella wasn't in the mood the play 20 questions with someone who didn't interest her.

The boy passed by her table slowly, and she could tell that when he saw her expression he silently chose another table to sit at. Bella didn't consider herself a remotely frightening person, but the whole situation had become so fucked up that no amount of fair play could cajole her into anything.

Bella tossed around the salt shaker until the snobby waitress who had managed not to yell at her came to her table, jostling the tray she held which carried her tuna sandwich and the odd soda or shake.

Bella was momentarily dissatisfied when the waitress sat it down and she took a bite. For such a small town to have such low standards was pitiful.

"Hey..."

Bella looked up to see two clear ocean blues eyes staring at her with interest.

_Fuck, _she thought, he wants to 'talk'.

Her thoughts were confirmed when the lack of answer sparked confidence in the young man. He extended his hand to her and introduced himself.

"I'm Mike, Mike Newton."

She stared at his hand a second too long before she dropped her sandwich and extended her own hand in return. She was not sure what this boy wanted, but since her temper had cooled off somewhat, she was interested in finding out.

"Bella Swan."


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Screen gems own the rights to the Covenant.**

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Chapter 3- Devotions to my beloved

Bella Swan sat herself down at the lunch table and tried not to focus on the large populace that was openly staring at her and her brother, who happened to be casually lounging next to her. Although it was Monday Bella wished that she still had a few more days to stall from stabbing the proverbial belly of the beast and attending Forks high.

She wished she were home at this moment.

Chase was highly amused by the open stares but was always up for causing a stir in the common tide of people's lives. Now that they were attendees of Forks High, he was free to lure the female population to being his willing disciples. He knew by the end of the day they would all be worshipping him.

Bella leaned back in her chair forcefully and winced at the pain it caused. Chase noticed her wince and pulled her shoulder up so that she was in a more comfortable sitting position.

"Are you okay?" He asked with real concern.

She nodded minutely while trying to balance the thin line of pleasure and pain. She chuckled darkly because, when being completely honest, she could freely admit there was no pleasure when it came to pain.

Chase rubbed her hand soothingly while trying to ease her pain. It was his fault that she was in so much pain to begin with, but in many ways he couldn't find himself to be at all sorry that she'd done so. He might be a horribly pretentious person but, he was glad at that moment that his sister was better than he was in the biblical sense.

Bella smiled awkwardly at Chase's attempt at comfort but he was only making her feel even more unattached. She had been born into the parallels of reality and for once, she just wanted to feel it.

She moved her hand and let the dull ache tingle and burn its way across her back and around her side. The accident hadn't caused that much damage, but it had only been a few weeks ago, and it still hurt like a mofo-bitch.

Picking up her apple, Bella braved through the slight edge of pain and took a bite. The sweet syrup pacified her senses and she continued to finish the apple and moved to the rest of her lunch.

The school bell sounded alerting everyone that lunch was over and it was time to get to class.

Bella pulled out her schedule and looked it over, _Sixth period: Biology II, _it read.

She sighed but got up. Bella always hated any class that was based on actual scientific facts. It always brought to point that tit for tat there was always an explained and calculated answer, when in reality everything was as unexplained and un-factual as she was. She was one-of-a-kind; and definitely unexplainable.

Bella said goodbye to Chase and silently trudged through the hallways with her books and bag by her side. If ever called out on it, she would freely admit that her bag, and all its possessions, was her security blanket.

Bella walked the halls cautiously; a part of her felt absolute dread while the other rose in anticipation. She knew because of their coffee shop chat that Mike was in this class, and she was strangely looking forward to seeing him. He was such an interesting character, no matter how hard she swatted him away he always seemed to come crawling back. It amused Bella to watch him fret over what he was going to say to her, and which way he was going to ask her out. It was concerning and hilarious at the same time.

Bella stepped into the biology room with caution, easing her way in slowly as if a small man in a devils suit were about to jump out of nowhere and shout 'boo'. She didn't like surprises, and if Mike was in a particularly superfluous mood then she'd just have to deck him.

Bella remembered the morning drive, she and Chase had argued again about the need to attend school while he forced her out of the car.

"_Let go of me!" Bella hissed as Chase firmly gripped her arm and led her over to the administration building._

"_Not a chance," he replied. Chase was not using his powers, but even so, he was still stronger than Bella. It would be pathetic if his six foot frame could not deter her five-foot-four one. _

_He unwillingly dragged her into the red building that was marked OFFICE and only let go of when she remained in place, albeit with her arms crossed and a sullied scowl on her face._

_Chase rolled his eyes and sauntered up to the counter. Behind it was a plump, middle aged woman who looked at him with astonishment, and a twinge of adoration in her eyes. _

_This is going to be too easy, Chase thought. He smiled his impish I-know-I-can-do-what-the-fuck-I-want-because-I'm-Chase-Collins look and introduced himself._

_Bella harrumphed loudly from behind his and he grudgingly acknowledged her too. _

_Ms. Cope, the secretary, began typing in her computer to register the two new students. It was the middle of the semester, March, and yet they were both transferring from well off schools; she couldn't make heads or tails of it._

_She eyed them warily several minutes later when she handed them their schedules. Based on their transcripts they both looked like good kids, high GPA's, no immediate issues (except for being orphans) and __had __the freshly scrubbed preppy-look. _

_She finished handing them all of the necessary paperwork and told the both of them that they would need to get a slip from all of their teachers signed._

_When Chase Collins grinned a generous good-bye Ms. Cope became flustered and blushed. That boy was as charismatic as the Cullen's!_

_Bella sighed as she ducked her head under her hood and shuffled outside. It was an absolutely miserable town, constantly raining, never sunny. She didn't understand Chase's draw to it, and she wondered if she'd ever find out._

"_Hey! Bella right?" _

_Bella turned and came face to face with none other than Michael Newton, or Mike for short. She smiled a hesitant smile while looking for all possible exits._

"_Hey, Mike..."_

Bella handed her slip to the teacher, who introduced himself as Mr. Banner, and headed over to the seat she was instructed to sit in with her head held high. She was not going to let this little town rule her, she was Bella _freaking_ Swan, and she didn't give a flying fuck what these pretentious little _children _through of her.

Her gaze fell on a boy –no, a man, sitting across from where Banner had pointed.

_Damn, _she wasn't any type of groupie, but she'd follow him around any day.

Bella blushed at the crude and _very _inappropriate thoughts that crossed her mind as she sat down beside him.

It was as if time had been slowed to a gruelling and sluggish pace. And an overwhelming urge to touch her neighbour was growing with every passing minute.

He was _gorgeous _Bella concluded. She didn't consider herself a vain person, but her attraction to this guy was not randomly sought out. Despite sitting down he looked tall, and his long muscular arms were sprawled out in front of him as he refused to take notes.

She found the little attributes she noticed to be adorable, she small quirk in his eyebrow, the tiny scar on the left side of his chin.

Small things that she would never bother to notice on a normal person she found herself studying and obsessing over in their period together.

She was so in tune with him that she didn't even realise class was almost over, and when the bell rang she jumped slightly while grudgingly she began packing up her things. She turned away from the aisle slightly to grab her bag from the back of her chair when she caught _his _gaze –or rather- glare. His intense onyx eyes attempted to penetrate her to her very core as she stared back, completely dumbfounded. All previous thought process had left her as she stared in the eyes of this breathtaking Adonis.

Edward Cullen stared at the rare beauty for a full thirty seconds before he picked up his books and high tailed it out of the class room.

Bella sighed a little empathetically before a full blown grin came across her face.

This one was different.

This one would be fun to play with.

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**a/n Bella is a little like Rosalie yes? Wonder how that is going to play out...**


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Screen gems own the rights to the Covenant.

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Chapter 4- Constant dynamic

Chase wondered aloud for the third time why Bella was in such a good mood.

Bella shrugged her shoulders and gave him a little smile that said 'nothing for you to worry about.'

Chase rolled his eyes and focused back on the road, their first day had been somewhat of a success, a few people had gave in to the urge to inquire about who they were and where they were from and Chase felt disinclined to enlighten them. He estimated that in a settlement this small it would take no time at all before they became the talk of the town.

Chase slowed the car down as they approached their new home. It was true that it was smaller than he was used to, but he figured that if they had both a large house and expensive car it would ward off the image of the freely emancipated minors he was sure they came off as.

When they reached the driveway Chase pulled in and parked. He was pleased that today had been such a success. By the end of the day he could tell the entire school was abuzz with questions.

_Who were they?_

_Where did they come from? _

_Where they a couple?_

_If they were they were almost as beautiful as those Cullen's__!_

That particular subject had sickened Chase. He knew that the 'show' they had given in the cafeteria had given the illusion that they possibly were a couple, but there was no possible way he could ever think of his sister that way. In contrast it was slightly humorous, he knew if Bella ever found out that most of the town was thinking then she would turn a deep and deplorable beet red.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" He teased Bella as soon as they entered their new home.

She rolled her eyes and gave him what he assumed was supposed to be a dirty look, but on Bella it was more of a peeved grimace.

Chase chuckled a little and set down his keys, the movers were set to arrive sometime tomorrow and so most of their furniture consisted of overturned cardboard boxes and carefully crafted sheets folded up to look like thick blankets. The most they could do to entertain themselves was to use what they had brought with them. For Bella it was her books, she was a fine lover of anything Victorian and would surely cut the sorry bastard that was stupid enough to make fun of her because of it.

For Chase it was always a different project. He was sad to admit that old man Collins had invested in spending time with him as a child and they would always have a project that they'd work on together. Father and son bonding time he would call it. Chase soon outgrew the time that they would spend together in the garage, but strangely, he never did stop spending his time tinkering with things, figuring out how they worked. Chase found a calming pleasure in the activity and decided to revisit it long after his adoptive father had died.

Chase went directly to the garage to work on a vintage car he had picked up abandoned outside of the old Forks distillery.

Bella immediately went to her room as soon as she entered the house. Luckily she had had the sense to bring her laptop along with her so there would be no more boredom from the quiet and the bleak. She climbed the stairs carefully and opened the door to her new room. The walls were a stark white and she couldn't stand the fact that they held no personality whatsoever.

Bella stared back at the walls with a feeling of open creativity. She knew the movers would be here tomorrow with all of their new things, and she knew that then she would have to divide and assemble all of the new furniture (with the help of Chase of course). Bella pondered the possibilities for a moment before settling on a course of action. If their home needed to be painted now, then she would recruit herself in to painting it.

She set down most of the text books she had acquired from school and headed back out, she knew if she told Chase she was going _anywhere _in the Maserati that he would **insist** on going with her so she plainly took his keys and left.

The engine purred as she pulled out of the driveway and she knew that Chase had definitely heard that. Right on cue, Chase came billowing out of the house with a look of downright rage painted across him face. When he saw that his sister was in his car and it was not, in fact, being stolen he calmed a bit but did not relax completely. Before he had a chance to shout that he was accompanying his sister wherever she needed to go Bella peeled out. Leaving skid marks and the smell of burnt rubber behind her.

Bella smiled to herself as she saw the expression on Chase's face when she pulled out. She would be paying for that one when she came back but she didn't care, his expression was definitely worth it.

Bella didn't know exactly where she was going but she figured that like all things in this town the local supply shop was just off of the highway. Driving was a nice change of events for Bella, she had been driven all the way here and then some. The change in position was a calming and relaxing experience, and she felt content to just sit and drive to nowhere of consequence.

However Bella had a destination, and when she reached it she parked and locked the car with its audible 'beep'.

As Bella walked slowly into the small store she took care to avoid the large puddles of mud and water. It seemed those puddles were a common occurrence in the town of Forks and making a trip and avoiding them was an obvious feat that they could not evade.

Bella sighed when she entered the shop. The rain had completely ruined her outfit, her grey peasant top was nearly see-through and the blue jeans she was wearing were surely bleeding ink all over her.

Bella was so focused on her state of dress that she didn't notice the woman who had just paid for her things at the cash register. Bella was so unfocused that only at the last minute did she spot the woman. She swerved her body uneasily and narrowly missed an assortment of brooms that was carefully constructed to please.

Bella apologized profusely for her clumsiness and hurried to help pick up the poor woman off of the floor.

"I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention and I did see you." That much was true. The woman wasn't that much shorter than her but was clearly out of her line of vision.

The woman chuckled a little and straightened out her own outfit. "No harm done," she said as she looked up. "I just dropped my bag."

Bella nodded as she had noticed that some of the purchases the woman had stuffed back into her bag had been a little odd: plaster, mixing cement, crown moulding? All of these things were meant for a builder or remodeler.

The woman noticed Bella's inquiring eyes. "My sons get a little rowdy sometimes and break things, this time we need more of a home-reno job because they decided to play football in the house." She shook her head to herself as though if her sons were here in this moment she would be scolding them appreciatively. "Not that big a deal, it's what comes with being a parent." She smiled encouragingly at Bella. "Maybe one day you'll understand, but for now you just enjoy being a kid."

Bella scoffed internally, she hadn't been able to truly be a kid in a very long time.

"Take care...?"

"Bella," she filled in.

"Bella. I hope I'll see you around town."

"You too...?"

She chuckled at the awkward introduction and produced a pale elegant hand, "Esme."

Bella smiled back at her and took her hand, "Pleased to meet you Esme."

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**a/n How many of you were expecting that? Be honest.**

**a/n Bella's outfit is on my website. Just click on the link on my profile and go to Photo Gallery under Coven of Solitude to see it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n Thanks for the reviews + love.**

**a/n Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Screen gems own the rights to the Covenant.**

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Chapter 5- Enigma of truth

Bella rolled over in bed. She came so close to the edge of the bed that when she reached the edge she had to cling to the loose sheets to avoid falling off. Cursing to herself, Bella righted herself and rose from her previous _comfortable_position.

Fully exasperated, Bella padded down the stairs and embarked on a full-fledged search for toast. Usually, she would be the one responsible for something safer, like orange juice, but recently she had acquainted herself with appliances that performed more _technical _tasks.

Bella fished out some of the bread that Chase had brought from the market. The bread was warm and fresh smelling, and because they currently had no working fridge, she could not spread anything of taste on it, but Bella was perfectly content simply eating her toast plain.

After she had successfully completed her task Bella popped the toast in her mouth and prided herself that she had not burnt the house down. Before Chase, she could not so much as bake a cake without causing bodily harm, but since her newly discovered brother she found that it was completely irresponsible not to learn. After all they couldn't both starve.

A thick knock at the door caused Bella to jump in fright. She was not at all used to things sneaking up on her, that was Chase's area of expertise.

Bella finished up her toast quickly and went to go and answer the door. She had no idea who was knocking at her door this early in the morning but smirked that whoever it was she was going to make them pay for knocking at such an hour.

As she walked Bella remembered the encounter she had had yesterday and wondered if that had anything at all to do with the current situation.

"_Pleased to meet you Esme," She responded politely. Bella wasn't really one for meet__ n'__ greets __but despite her nomadic affairs she had been raised with some manners._

_She extended her hand and clasped it tightly around Esme's already outstretched hand._

_They shook once and as soon as the moment was over Bella retrieved her hand and stuffed hastily in her pocket. _

_Esme didn't seem to notice and with smiled angelically at her. There was now a silence that __was __awkward for Bella but the opposite for Esme. With every second that passed Bella felt increasingly awkward and shifted uncomfortably. She hated feeling awkward, but this woman seemed to bring out the worst in her. _

"_Well I must be leaving then," Esme said. _

_Bella looked up and smiled, she was fully relieved that she didn't have to accompany her presence any longer, a strange vibe was emanating from this Esme that she couldn't explain, and she couldn't wait to go home and ask Chase about it. _

"_Again, I'm really sorry Mrs…" Bella trailed off. She could clearly see a very large and expensive looking diamond on the wedding ring finger of the woman, and she couldn't imagine her buying it for herself just because. _

_Esme smiled as she turned towards the door. She couldn't quite place it, but she felt as though this new girl held more significance than the average human in Forks. _

"_Mrs. Cullen, but please call me Esme."_

_Bella stared blankly at the retreating figure that left the shop. She couldn't believe that this entire time she had been talking to a Cullen._

Bella padded slowly to the door and swung it open. She didn't need to worry about such trivial things as robbers or burglars, in a town such as this one there weren't such things.

There on their door step stood a delivery man with crisp dress pants and an ironed top; Bella assumed that this was his uniform.

"Can I help you?" she asked imploringly, Bella didn't know where exactly he was from and was waiting for an answer.

The man continued to stare at her as though she were the last woman on earth. For the life of her Bella could not understand his reaction, it was only when a cool breeze swept through the open door did she understand. She had gotten out of bed without bothering to change, and normally she slept in clothing that could be considered as...less than pyjamas.

Bella smirked to herself as she watched the delivery man ogle her. He had absolutely no tact whatsoever, she could probably use her powers in front of him and he wouldn't notice.

As Bella debated on what to do and the delivery man continued to stare at her headlights Chase came down the stairs out of concern for who was at the door.

Immediately he noticed the delivery pervert staring at his sister and her obvious lack of clothes. He didn't understand how Bella could sleep comfortably in a thin tank top and short shorts when the weather rarely rose above fifty degrees.

Chase rushed down the stairs and made a bee line for the door. As soon as he was close enough he grabbed one of his jackets from the many assembled on the coat rack and threw it over her shoulders. Chase didn't waste any time and pushed a grinning Bella out of the door frame while he had a little talk with the soon to be fired delivery man.

"Listen here fucker," he addressed him. He didn't give a flying fuck to the consequences, if this guy wanted to leer at women he could go to a convent. They were outside now; Chase having pushed the door closed narrowly avoiding the man's face. "The next time I see your eyes come even remotely close to looking at my sister, I will rip your fucking throat out." He promised. Chase made sure that his body language read that he was serious; he wouldn't hesitate to remove this fucker from the world.

The man nodded his head nervously, obviously not having the slightest clue where Chase's rage had come from, Chase being used to his flighty emotions turned on his heel and re-entered the house.

The appliances they had ordered were set up, as well as any of the furniture they didn't have. Bella had fun just watching the delivery men lift such things as the couch, their muscles strained as they attempted to get into the correct position, only to have to move it again at Bella's request. Moving day was officially set and nothing was going to get in the way of that.

After the mover's had left, Bella began getting ready, she was not anticipating this as much as Chase was but she was getting there. It was a Saturday night, which meant charity events for the rich. Not so long ago she counted herself with the poor, but it was different now, she was different.

Bella had all of the jewels and the bracelet's, but took special care when she placed her adoptive grandmother's broach on her blouse. She might not be a part of that family any more, but she'd always cherish the time she had spent with them.

Chase came into her room fully dressed in a suit, complete with bow-tie and winning smile.

Bella rolled her eyes at his impishness.

Chase smiled back at her and held out a hand; however Bella ignored it and walked past him. Chase chuckled and walked behind her down the stairs, he was used to helping Bella when she wore heels in case she ever fell. Despite the fact that they were twins, he could never understand where she got her clumsy capabilities from.

Bella made it to the front door before she turned on the spot and looked at Chase worriedly. "We don't even know where they live," she protested.

Chase smiled and pushed her along anyway.

"Rich people live in rich looking houses do they not?" He asked rhetorically. Bella nodded anyway before he continued, "So how hard would it be to find a big mansion in the woods?"

Again the question was rhetorical but Bella did not know if there was an answer. She settled in silence as they entered the car, she guessed she would find out on the way.

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**a/n What are they up to?**

**a/n Well to find out keep reading –no duh**


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Screen gems own the rights to the Covenant.**

**a/n We've been missing the classic nature of Chase's language, but in this chapter its back. So one more time, IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT THEN SKIP, SKIP, SKIP ON OVER TO ANOTHER STORY.**

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Chapter 6-One last chance

Bella sighed as she opened her dresser drawer, it was Monday morning and, as expected she had to get to school.

She flung her clothes across the room looking for a decent outfit. Usually, she dressed according to her mood, but today she felt like wearing the blackest of blacks and a deep red to accent her anger.

Bella sighed; nothing in her closet fit that description perfectly. Hooked to the door of the closest was a plaid corset top that she had once worn to a club. It wasn't exactly what she was going for but as she put it on and fixed her hair, she could tell that it would work.

Chase waited downstairs patiently for his sister, she had been particularly angry with him ever since the Charity ball, and he knew exactly why. Of all of the rash and spur of the moment things he could have done, he was sure that Bella would never pin anything like this on him.

"_Are you a fucking moron?" Bella yelled._

_They had just spent the night at one of the many Charity events that were held in the Pacific North West. What they hadn't known however, was what the event was for. Bella and Chase both were pleasantly surprised that the neighbourhood's elite had joined together and organized to pitch in for the much needed repairs of the old town school._

_The night was awkward to say the least. As the only youth there, they had not known they would be so few participants. The charity consisted in mostly old adults whose great-great-great gra__ndfathers__ had founded the town back in the late 1800's. The host's on the other hand, or at least one of them, were pleased that they had taken up the initiative and interest in their school._

_So imagine their surprise when Chase had actually signed a bid. _

_Chase smiled slightly and shook his head. He could tell that Bella was close to losing it, and if he didn't pull over now, then there was a chance they would get into an accident. _

_He pulled over to the side of the road and turned to stare at her. He couldn't be sure, since there was very poor lighting in the dead of night, on a dark road, in the middle of nowhere, but he could have sworn he saw Bella's eyes flash __charcoal__._

"_No I'm not; if we ever want to be close to them in the future we need nights like tonight. Don't you see? If we're out in the open-"_

"_If we're out in the open it makes it easier for them to attack us."__ Bella interrupted. "We don't even know if they know what we are, most likely, they probably just think we're some crazy rich couple that founded some secret and highly incriminating production company that manufactures __year-round pornography__."_

_Chase stared at his sister's frantic form and burst out laughing. He could not seriously believe the things that were running through her head. _

_Bella stared back at Chase with mixed chagrin, she did not like being laughed at, and she especially didn't like that they now had to write a check for fifty thousand dollars._

"_It's not fucking funny!" She spat finally. "I don't give a shit about 'Forks High' so why would I pay fifty grand just so they have the __aquatic benefits__?"_

_Chase shook his head in an attempt to shake the hilarity and addressed her. "Bells, the faster we get on their good side, the longer we can stay there, don't forget our little problem__…"_

_Bella frowned and turned in her seat so that she was facing forward. Her arms came to wrap around herself and silently admitted Chase was right. _

_Even if she didn't want to use them, she had to…_

Chase bit down on his lower lip. He watched as Bella descended the stairs in a barely there black pleated skirt and a plaid corset top. He knew that since this was a small town, and therefore a small sense of modesty, that there would be definite problems when they got to school.

Chase coughed and Bella glared at him. He could tell that with the slightest word he would resemble an old mannequin that had been subjected target practice so he didn't say anything and pretended not to care.

The truth was though, Chase did care. If it were anyone else, then he would most likely be the one hitting on said girl, but because it was his own sister there was a miniscule chance of _anyone _copying him and getting within five feet of her.

Without another word they both got into Chase's car and drove off. Chase tried to ignore the fact that Bella's bare legs were probably going to mess up the material but didn't succeed and released a small, but well defined scowl.

Bella noticed. She turned to look out the window but smiled to herself. This is what Chase got for spending her money without consulting her first.

When they reached the school Bella let herself out. The skirt she was wearing was indeed short, and she had to make sure to angle herself so that no one was flashed the goods.

Walking in the building (and leaving Chase behind without as much as a glance) she noticed the Newton boy gawking at her. She observe that compared to what she had worn on Friday, this outfit was a complete change of character: the converse, corset and the belted skirt screamed _rocker_ and as different as it was it fit her personality perfectly.

As Bella was turning a corner to head to her first class, she heard the bustling of someone calling in a distinctly frustrated and annoyed tone.

Bella tuned and came face to face with who she could guess was the principal. He was stout and angry looking, and most likely sexually frustrated. Bella internally cringed; she did not want to explore that thought process.

"Excuse me miss..?" The Principal began, there was a slight quality to his voice that made his seem either exasperated or highly stressed.

"Swan," Bella filled in cautiously. She did not believe that what she thought was going to happen would actually take place.

"Miss Swan could you follow me into my office please?" He asked in what he assumed was a polite voice.

Bella stared at him. This was not a conventional school where the principal's office was around the corner. She would have to walk in the rain and the cold to get all the way over to the office building when she had no intention of it.

"And may I ask why," She said while placing a hand on her hip.

The man swallowed anxiously in his attempts to avoid a scene. The student body of Forks high was usually quite respectable; no one had caused any sort of trouble before, well, before-

"Sir, if there really is an issue than I'm sure you would have told me by now. However, based on your blank stare I can assume that it is not very pressing."

He was stuttering, he had no idea what to say.

Bella stepped close to him and reached in her bag. The bag that held everything, the bag that was her life.

"Do you know what this is Mr.…?" She asked his question back at him.

"Varner." He sputtered.

"Varner. Do you know what this is Mr. Varner?"

He stared at the rectangular piece of paper that was held firmly between her chipped fingernails and shook his head. He could not believe that he was being spoken to like a five year old.

"Well, my brother and I have decided to donate fifty thousand dollars in the name of the school to build a decent sized swimming pool. I haven't given it in to administration yet, but just to make sure I do, why don't you walk me directly there? You can even make sure I get to class without any trouble."

Mr. Varner nodded like a poorly cared for rag doll. He had no idea that _this_ student had been the one to donate the large sum, if anyone he would have guessed it would have been the Cullen's who'd hosted the event.

"...You can also make sure that _nothing _stops me from getting this check in." Bella smiled evilly as she watched the man's pride shrink. She linked her arm within the principals and made her way toward the building marked OFFICE.


	7. Chapter 7

**a/n Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Screen gems own the rights to the Covenant.**

**a/n To those of you who have read midnight sun, this might sound a little bit familiar.

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Chapter 7-Pawn

Edward Cullen sat peacefully at his lunch table while waiting for this dreary day to end.

_Edward_

He turned his head two fourths of an inch as to address Alice's concerns.

_Do you think…?_

He understood the unasked question; Jasper hadn't been on a hunt in a little over two weeks. For someone accustomed to the prolonged ache and burn for blood, Edward couldn't empathize, however he could sympathize. Jasper was the newest addition to the family (along with Alice of course), but unlike Alice he had lived a completely different life before this one. He had lived as a nomad.

Edward moved his eyes a little to the left, toward the slight cracks in the foundation of Forks High, then to the right, so that he was more or less focused on the little student body that made up the school.

Alice exhaled. To anyone else besides the two of them it simply looked as though she let out a frustrated breath. The truth, however was that Alice Cullen was worried for her husband. It had been too long since he had hunted and she worried for the safety of the neighbourhood supply of fresh blood that was preserved under the skin of these children. It was in part their safety that mattered to her, but what mattered more was Jasper's conscience and his ability to actually _feel _what his victims felt with every action.

Jasper Cullen turned his head toward a young sophomore who had bravely wandered close to their table. Her scent burned his throat like a ravenous fire and he shifted the slightest inch towards her.

"It wouldn't be worth it," Edward said quietly, sensing Jasper's unease and immanent slip. "You would feel horrible afterwards."

Jasper leaned back the little he had came and looked down at the table, ashamed. None of the others found it the least bit difficult to become accustomed to the close proximity in which the humans found themselves to them.

Alice reached over and attempted to reassure her husband while Rosalie and Emmett Cullen, the two final members of their table, looked on.

There was still forty minutes left to the lunch period, and they each felt the seconds drag by. Nothing remotely entertaining ever happened at Forks High.

Rosalie sighed, adjusted the spoon in which she had been admiring her reflection and smoothed out her lip gloss just as someone entered the cafeteria.

They all seemed to look up, it was as if a strange form of curiosity had come over everyone in the cafeteria as they watched the principal, whom by the looks of it had never before stepped into the cafeteria before, escort a single student into the line and take her books.

Rosalie's eyebrows shot straight up into her hairline and Emmett simply guffawed. Had the new girl made the principal her lackey?

The girl waited in line for an impossibly short time (considering the amount of students in front of her) then walked the short distance to a table already occupied by a boy with dark hair and Abercrombie stamped all over him.

Everyone seemed to watch in silence as the principal carried her books to her and left the cafeteria as quickly as his legs could carry him.

"WHAT was that?" Emmett asked in speech too quick for the humans surrounding them to hear.

"I'm guessing the principal has been informed that it wasn't us who had donated fifty grand in the name of the school-" Edward answered.

"They did that?" Emmett interrupted. He had not been at the benefit a few nights before.

"Yes, _Bella,_" Edward said her name with contempt, "and Chase, her brother seem to be full of surprises."

He meant that in more ways than one. No one, not in his near century of living had ever thrown him so many curveballs as Bella Swan had.

Rosalie seemed to pick up on his though process and she narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean by that exactly?"

He hesitated, he had not bothered to tell them anything about Isabella Swan it made him increasingly suspicious of the way that she seemed to handle herself around him, it made him-

"_Well?_"

He sighed, it was now or never.

"I have trouble hearing her thoughts." There. He seemed to blurt out the offensive admission like an embarrassing truth, which it was really.

"WHAT?" Rosalie and all of his other table members silently shouted.

This had been the reason he had kept the little tidbit to himself, it was strange, and yet he himself didn't fully understand it.

"Explain." Rosalie commanded, for the first time looking directly at him.

"Later." He urged, he did not want to have to repeat anything for Carlisle and Esme, his parents for all intents and purposes.

Her eyes narrowed, and she seemed to be sending bouts of liquid fire through the laser beams she was casting at him. Edward ignored it; he knew he needed to explain.

Silence erupted over them, and no one seemed to move. A small showdown seemed to rise between Rosalie and Edward and no one, not even the all- seeing pixie could tell what would happen next.

Finally after what seemed like a small eternity Rosalie muttered a small, "fine," begrudgingly.

*

It was late in the afternoon when Edward and the rest of his family pulled up to their home. The white mansion in the woods was fairly secluded, and so they were allowed a fair amount of privacy.

Edward closed the door to his Volvo not long before Rosalie sped into the house, most likely to inform Esme and Carlisle of the news that was likely going to be shared.

Edward sighed. He guessed that it was bound to happen sooner or later, though he would never freely admit that that particular afternoon he had spent trying fruitlessly to unlock the secrets of Isabella Swan's mind.

He followed slowly, about the speed of a normal human, but much slower than the rest of his family and most definitely slower than Rosalie.

When they all were assembled in the living room; Carlisle, most likely the only likely vampire-surgeon in all the surrounding countries was standing at the head of the table, still wearing his doctor's coat from the hospital which he had just come from.

"Edward, Rosalie promises us we all have something to talk about?" He asked in his soothing yet commandeering voice.

Edward nodded minutely and stepped forward; somewhat annoyed that Rosalie had brought it up so quickly. "It is about the two new students of Forks High," he confirmed.

Everyone in the room perked to this information. The five Cullen (and Hale) "children" had only though this was related to Bella.

"What is it Edward?" Esme asked, troubled. She remembered no outlining features about the two other than the times they had met. She hoped that she hadn't missed something.

"It is really strange," he began, "I can't hear their thoughts."

"At all?" Someone interrupted.

Edward's brow furrowed, he had been dreading this part. "Most of the time."

The silence itself seemed to ask the question.

"I've never heard Chase's thoughts but I've caught some of Bella's," he paused, he was hoping to phase the next sentence as carefully as her could. "But not since their first day."

Rosalie's eyebrows came together as did everyone else's. They had not yet come to the same conclusion as he had.

"I think she's blocking my thoughts."

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**a/n REVIEW!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**a/n Holy crap it's a COS update!**

**a/n Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Screen gems owns the rights to the Covenant.**

**a/n I'm sorry it's been a while, all of my Exams are done and I should be updating more frequently now.**

**a/n This chapter takes place back in the cafeteria, back when Edward was watching Bella.

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Chapter 8- Static 

"You are so full of yourself."

Bella rolled her eyes as she sat down in her seat next to Chase. For someone who thrived on attention Chase didn't seem too keen of what she was doing. She set her tray down and turned to accept her books, of which the kind principal had 'insisted' on carrying.

"Thank you Arnold, I'll see you in a bit." The principal nodded meekly and hurried off towards his office, feeling thoroughly degraded.

"Like you don't act the same way. Don't pretend that if things were the other way around you would -at all- regret it."

Chase scoffed but did not deny the fact the he wouldn't protest to events similar to his favour.

Bella ate her lunch quietly; she did not need Chase to know exactly where her mind was at the moment. They were in fact not on the traditional subject but the mysterious group that chose to situate themselves in the back of the cafeteria and away from the general population of Forks high.

Bella subtly raised her eyes to look over at _his _table. He was sitting with his siblings, she noticed. All of the Cullen's were, in fact, sitting together at the far table in the cafeteria; however they seemed to be sitting as far away as possible from each other.

Bella noticed with slight distain that Edward Cullen was not, at all, looking in her direction. She had grown accustomed now to his penetrating stares, and almost imploring eyes whenever they seemed to be alone together. Bella had first noticed the rare oddity shortly after their paring in Biology class. It didn't take very long for Edward to stop his wintry behaviour and actually pay her a glance. At times, it seemed that he was simply studying, though Bella soon figured that he used that time to stare at her plainly as if she held some sort of vital key to a pesky and unsolvable problem.

Bella sighed as she took another bite of her sandwich; it was tuna again, as it seemed the town was fond or perhaps poorly stocked of other fish.

There was a slight throat clearing and Bella turned, slowly. Behind her was a girl that she had barely noticed, but could tell that wanted to be.

Jessica Stanley had been gathering the courage to approach the two new kids for days now; however a combination of their naturally mysterious and standoffish nature had directed her to keep her distance. Now, she approached them like a woman with a mission, they_ were_ her mission. If anything they were the new splash of colour that Forks had been in need of for years.

She deliberately tapped the nicer of the two, Bella, on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Hi, I'm Jessica!"

It seemed introduction enough for the brunette was looking at her with interest and her brother had an amused look on his face.

Jessica wondered for a split second who she was more interested in talking to, Bella, or her hot companion.

"So you two are new here at Forks."

It wasn't a question, as the answer was obvious, but Bella found the hilarity in this girl and her statements of obvious facts.

"I just thought I'd introduce myself and hopefully show you around campus." She stated eagerly.

Bella and Chase looked at each other for a moment. They knew the eager ass- kissing type when they saw it, and Jessica fit the bill to a tee.

"Sure, Jessica," Bella began, "but first why don't you tell us all about Forks High."

Jessica hesitated. She wasn't sure, by based on the tone Isabella was using it sounded as though she was being made fun of. Jessica chose to ignore it though, if she ever wanted to become close to them it would take the small matter of sucking up.

"Well there aren't many exciting things happening in Forks. I don't know if you've noticed but most of the kids here are pretty boring. You're the only interesting people to come to Forks since, well, the Cullen's"

And there it was again, Bella thought, the proverbial elephant in the room so to speak. Bella turned her head a fraction to meet Chase's gaze before turning to look back at Jessica.

"Why don't you have a seat, Jess."

*

Bella walked through the walls of the school in hopes of bumping into a certain someone. Now, because of the generous amount of information that Jessica Stanley had given them about the Cullen's she was as close to positive about what they were as she was ever going to get. Chase's accusations and minimal knowledge on the subject had led to some suspicion, but the day-to-day facts that added up to typical 'Cullen' behaviour, had solidified her beliefs. Chase was more than smug after the lunch bell had rang and pointed out that he had been right the whole time.

They were vampires.

Bella wasn't sure what to think about that fact. Sure, she had been introduced to the mythical world at an early age when she started developing her powers, however Vampires were something that never thought could exist.

Bella's thoughts turned to the one person whom she thought she had pegged.

_Him._

Bronze hair, lean body, and hair that surely caused several orgasms from sight alone; it was all the things she thought she had been getting used to. Those, along with the penetrating stares sent her way whenever they seemed to be alone together. It had started her first day, that lone class in Biology, but lately, she had been noticing his golden eyes staring at her in the cafeteria, in the hallways, after school by the car. Everywhere she went she was followed as though she was some grand enigma, though she now knew why.

He had a power, one that rivalled hers.

Upon arriving in Forks they had not taken any chances. She could not risk him gathering any possible valuable information from her; it would cause him to flee as fast as his long legs would carry him.

No, what needed to be done had been. Bella had had no other choice than to block him out.

So she had.

It proved to be a feat in itself, using her power without revealing herself to others. Hiding the truth, not showing them what she really was.

Bella settled herself in her seat. It was, as every day led to, sixth period.

Seconds before the final bell rang Edward Cullen brushed into the class and settled into his seat. Bella stared shamelessly. She had always been informed that she had no means of self preservation.

Edward turned his head slowly to face her. In any other situation a person caught staring would immediately avoid gazes of said person and feign ignorance; however Bella Swan wasn't like most people. She gazed unabashedly back at him with a mixture of awe and interest. It was one thing to hear about a mythical creature, it was another to actually see one up close.

Bella and Edward stared at each other for what felt like a long while. It seemed as though there was a silent but tangible current rolling through the air, uncatchable but highly provocative. As the class progressed they both continued to stare. It now seemed to be based less on actual interest and more on sheer will, but Bella refused to back down, and she could tell that Edward felt the same. It was only when the teacher found them in the middle of their face off did they break the hold they held on each other and look away.

"Now that we have your attention, I would like to inform all of you of your partners for the group assignment."

Bella lost interest quickly there was nothing immediately fascinating about Biology; in fact there was only one reason why she continued to attend the class.

"Ms. Swan will be with Mr. Cullen here..."

Bella turned to look at Edward.

And there was that reason once more.

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**a/n The book of Damnation is the main source for Chase's accusations. Though he's never read it he had his suspicions.**

**a/n One word. Review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**a/n Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Screen gems own the rights to the Covenant.**

**a/n I am the worst poster ever.**

**a/n Did I mention how bad of a writer I am and how I'm really sorry?!**

**a/n I tried to make this chapter flow, but i still don't like it, eh.**

**HAPPY CANADA DAY!**

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Chapter 9-Fixated & Frustrated

Bella sighed as she positioned the hydrogen bond according to the reference she and half of the class had been given.

"I don't get it," One of the students, who Bella identified as Lauren Mallory, vented.

She rolled her eyes; their assignment was easy, if you were paying attention that was. Bella casually looked over to her partner. He was staring at her, as if lost in thought, and playing with the only pencil he had. Bella watched as it twirled around and around, lost in direction but still on an obvious loop.

"Are you going to help?" She asked him plainly.

Mike Newton stared at her blankly. It was clear that he had either not heard what she had said or was otherwise handicapped in some way.

"Alright-y then." She mumbled to herself. She didn't need his help anyway; even though Bella formally hated school it did not mean she wasn't good at it. In fact, she was a pretty good student, absences aside and was usually the model that teachers usually referred to, though it still did not encourage her to 'succeed'.

It was the actually structure that bothered her, the, wake up, go to school for eight hours and based on that you would be either a winner or a bum. Bella didn't know if she would be either, but societal values had been imprinted on her since she was little, and she would never forget the family motto of 'go to school, get a job, be successful'.

Bella sighed again. If she had to ignore the imbecile sitting next to her any longer than she would undoubtedly need to cut someone. Mike she could usually tolerate, but today she was feeling unusually irritable.

She raised her hand and asked as politely as she could manage to go to the bathroom; it was not very far and would allow her the necessary time she needed to cool off.

When Bella reached the ladies room she pushed the door aside and went to do her business. The bathroom was completely empty except for her and for that she was thankful, she didn't know what would happen if she was forced to deal with any uptight prissiness.

The door swung open and she inspected her brother making a rather inappropriate entrance.

"Hey sis," he announced.

Bella shot him a dirty look before reminding him that this was, in fact, the ladies room.

Chase swung an arm over his baby sisters' shoulders, "I am well aware of that honey crunch, I just thought I'd check up on you, see how well you're getting along with the other children."

"Fuck off."

Chase smiled. "Ah, ah ah, that is not very appropriate behaviour-"

"This coming from the dude in the girls' bathroom."

Chase chuckled and settled himself on the counter; he was quite bored and decided that there was no one better to cheer him up than his sister.

Bella watched Chase with one eye as she re-applied her lip gloss. Lately, things had taken a sour note and their progress with the Cullen's was at a standstill.

It had been two weeks since Bella had been paired up with Edward Cullen for what was to be a very important final project. It had taken Bella a while to remember that she and Chase hadn't really moved at an opportune time. The middle of the semester meant a lot of catching up.

"_Ms. Swan will be with Mr. Cullen here..."_

_Bella internally grinned; it was if luck was decidedly on her side today._

_Beside her Edward Cullen had frozen in his seat. He had 'heard' Mr. Banner and his intentions; however the luck of the draw prevented him from knowing who his partner would really be. _

_He had to be the unluckiest person in the building._

_He slowly turned to face the brown eyed beauty beside him and smiled, or at least what he hoped was a smile, it may have come out as a grimace._

"_Isabella…"_

_Bella turned to the sound of her own name. Coming from Edward Cullen, it sounded as if it were produced from silk and slowly woven into a caress. _

_A caress? Where the hell did that come from? She thought. Bella shook her head slightly and came back to her surroundings._

"_Isabella," She mused aloud, why was she being lethargic? Was Bella Swan actually having trouble talking to a boy?_

_Bella put her game face on and wore it with a mask of indifference. _

_Edward Cullen noticed her mask go on immediately, he knew it well, it was once he often wore when addressing his family. What was it that she thought she had to hide?_

"_We seem to be partners, forgive me for not introducing myself, I am Edward Cullen."_

_She smirked and replied, "I know."_

_She knew? What could he say to that?_

"_Uh, well then we should probably meet to finish the project."_

_Bella rolled her eyes and nodded at the obvious statement. "When and where?" She asked casually._

_Edward thought this over for a moment, surely they could meet at her house, only then it would be on unfamiliar grounds and he would be forced to endure her brother._

"_My house, perhaps sometime next week?"_

"_Sure." Bella replied, she couldn't wait._

"What do you want Chase?"

Bluntness was the only way to get anything from him.

Chase smiled a little and dove right in, "I want you to get close to Edward Cullen."

Bella stared at his reflection in the mirror for a good minute. He had to be joking.

"I'm serious Bells," he said, as if reading her mind, "Nothing has happened in two weeks, your pal Edward hasn't shown up in as long…"

Bella fought off the urge to yell that they weren't pals but ducked her head instead. Even though rationally it wasn't her fault that Edward Cullen had been avoiding sixth period Biology, she still felt like it had something to do with her.

"Yeah whatever, I don't see why pretty boy Cullen is so important, but I'll tail him any way."

Now, it was 'next week', and Edward Cullen was obviously avoiding her, only she had no idea why. For some reason she felt it necessary to hide just how hard his absence bothered her.

Bella felt sure that his absence from Biology was only limited to that class. She had acquired proof when she'd seen him in the parking lot with the other Cullen's, and to fuel her fire, he'd avoided her then too.

"Now, can you please get out of the ladies room?!"

He raised his hands as if surrendering to an invisible foe, "Geez, don't get you're panties in a twist, I'll go. You've been PMS'ing for the longest time; you should get that checked out." He said with all seriousness.

"Get the fuck out!" Bella yelled, and threw her compact at him for good measure.

The compact hit the door and Bella scowled after him, the product had been wasted.

Bella gripped the sides of the nearest sink. _What was wrong with her_, she questioned herself? She had been having an 'off day' for more than a week now, and nothing fit into place. Days ago, she could have chalked it up to the fact that they were living in a 'nothing town' where there was a police chief and everything. But recently, she fancied the idea that maybe, maybe it was something else, or rather someone else.

Bella looked up into the mirror and stared at her reflection and what she saw convinced her. She was Bella _freaking_ Swan; she didn't and wouldn't lose it over some adolescent _boy. _She didn't even know why she was making such a big deal anyway.

Bella walked out of the bathroom and vowed the next time she saw Edward Cullen; he would not play any disappearing acts on her.

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**a/n I realise some of their Biology was really chemistry. But in high school, my teacher taught us Bio-Chem, even though the class was called ****Biology****. So that's just me penning out my frustrations.**

**a/n Again, I'm sorry. But it is summer vacation and all.**

**a/n This is the one time I'll allow you to yell at me in a review.**


	10. Chapter 10

a/n _**What? An update? Mais quesque je vois?**_

**a/n For this update you have to thank the many who reviewed, but special thanks goes to **x3Tinkerbell07 **who made me smile and blush and want to spit out this chapter for you guys. I can't review your story because of a seriously annoying pop up blocker but I want to say that if I could I'd be fan girlin' all over the place. Ronnie had her baby!!! And Lily and Meg said goodbye, and, Okay I'll stop.

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Chapter 10-Special Surprise

Chase moved over to the underside of the hill to better cloak his position.

A leaf fluttered in the distance and Chase immediately moved his attention to the slight change in foliage. His eyes crinkled in frustration and he drew his attention back to the large white house in the trees.

Nothing had changed in the white mansion for a while; Bella had announced earlier in the week that she had secured a trip to the Cullen's house. Chase had been secretly relived that they were making at least some progress compared to the hardly entertaining nowhere they had been days previously. The problem, or rather, the most brazen and difficult Cullen had decided to show up for class the following day after Chase and Bella's argument in the bathroom. Good thing too, Chase thought, Bella had nearly driven herself crazy with anger in her frustrations. Now, she was currently being waited on by the petite and fluttery one, which funnily enough had eaten several crackers herself when Bella had asked her why someone as small as her wasn't hungry.

Chase waited, he knew better than to make his presence known. He was far enough out that while he could easily spot Bella with his high powered and equally as expensive binoculars he couldn't be spotted, not while they couldn't hear him anyways.

Chase edged back a bit, he had to make sure to stay far enough away that his heart beat wouldn't be heard and any wind that chanced his path passed him and held little significance when it reached the house. Chase knew that he was bordering stalker-like activity, but while his sister was in the company of several blood thirsty Vampires he couldn't trust any of them, no matter how they had moved away from the consumption of society. It could be said that Bella could take care of herself, but he knew that if it came down to it, she wouldn't have the time.

Bella turned her head to the side to look at the delicate young woman who had insisted on serving her fudge cookies.

Alice smiled angelically and again offered her another helping of deserts, she didn't seem to understand the concept of being full or at least didn't remember from her human days how long after you started eating it came, and so she kept offering even after Bella's forced fourth serving.

Bella sighed, "No Alice, I don't want anymore."

Alice frowned and prompted the cookies once more, "But you can't possibly be full, there's still half the box left."

Bella was struck with how completely honest and innocent Alice's statement was that she decided that force alone wouldn't conquer her.

"But what about you Alice? You only had about three cookies, much less than me..."

Alice was quick on the rebound, "Well, I already ate, as I said, and only had a few to...taste."

She was unsure of her statement which amused Bella, and she decided to play with Alice a little.

"Taste...."

She let the statement hang in the air and watched an uncomfortable and highly unsure look come across Alice's face.

As Alice slowly paved her own mental demise, Bella used her extra senses to sniff out the other Cullen's in the house. Edward had said that they were going to be working in the living room, but that had been several minutes ago, she sensed that he was avoiding her deliberately and had sent Alice to be her prime distraction. Bella wasn't bothered highly by the act, only amused and a little curious as to why someone as simple as her would cause him to flee the very sight of her.

As if on cue, in walked Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome. Bella noticed that Edward Cullen carried a certain hidden agenda with him where ever he went; it was as if he had a secret that was just waiting to be found out.

Bella already knew that secret.

"If you're ready we can begin working on the project in the living room."

Bella sat up with uncertainty as Alice slinked away to another room pretending not to exist. She had been awaiting the time to talk to this new puzzle for some time now, but the actual time she had spent with Isabella was awkward and uncomfortable. Even with the extra senses of a vampire who could see into the future she still felt as if she were missing something, and in a strange way she never felt more in the dark.

Edward turned on the spot after his admission, and walked slowly to the main room in the house which was used for formal occasions, which understandably they rarely had. Isabella Swan's presence had caused more than just the obvious stir of emotions, but an undetermined flip in their steady and predictable world.

When Edward sat on one of the many plush chairs the room offered, Bella followed suit, sitting in a chair facing the vampire.

"So..." They both said at the same time.

Edward immediately silenced himself, and then grew annoyed when Isabella did the same. It was absolutely irritating for him to have no idea where the conversation was going, or how he would ultimately respond to it, or what the opposite person was thinking at all. Ms. Swan would surely be the death of him.

Taking a big sigh to indicate he wanted to talk, Edward sat up, even though he and his family had agreed something strange had to be going on he wasn't at all prepared to face it. Isabella was an enigma that he wanted to solve more than anything else, but more than that he wanted to understand the process in which she worked. To the common eye, or rather uncommon vampire one, Isabella was sporadic and unpredictable, but Edward was beginning to see consistencies in the way she functioned, and noticed that she had a fierce and most likely unbreakable bond to her brother.

"So what do you wish to work on first, Isabella?"

Bella blinked stupidly, but it had been the first time Edward had addressed her by her name and the full use of it felt a little strange.

"Just Bella actually, and it doesn't matter, cell division is best though."

Edward nodded and opened up the school provided text book and began to work.

Two hours later they had made some progress, but their inability to cooperate had been keeping them from making too much progress. Edward found Bella as tenacious as Rosalie at times, and her refusal to do things a certain way was rubbing him the wrong way. Bella also found working with Edward more than difficult; his absolute insistence that this way, or _his_ way, was the right way to solve a problem was infuriating her beyond belief.

"Would you just listen?! The cell structure differs with Meiosis but not Mitosis, so why are you making the cell wall thicker on this one?"

Edward fought the urge to roll his eyes, he knew that if he didn't hold his temper he would end up yelling, and that was nothing this innocent little girl deserved.

"I realise that thank you, I was just saving us the trouble of having to draw the diagram later."

Bella quietened, but she still believed that she was right; she wouldn't go on about it, because she knew that no one liked a whiny little brat, but she would make sure that Edward Cullen knew not to mess with her in the future.

Edward sensed that it was a good place to stop for the day so he asked Bella if she was ready to go home.

Bella wasn't sure if she was being kicked out, or if Edward was really being polite but she decided it was time to leave after all. It wasn't late, but she felt as if she had spent an eternity at the Cullen's house.

They both promised to finish the project at a later date, and Edward walked Bella outside, the nervousness that Bella felt she wasn't used to and when Edward's hand shadowed her lower back, she jumped. It was strange, Bella was usually the one in control of the situation, even when it was at its worst she always seemed to find a way to turn it around, now she was at wits end as to how to fix it, fix the now monstrous and ever growing problem she was faced with.

She was starting to care about Edward Cullen.

It had started with simple gestures and infuriating smirks, but slowly she found he had wormed his way into her conscious, and she couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten there.

After they had settled in his car, Bella stared across the centre console at the one and only person she had let past her defences.

When this was all over, and the dust had settled into the past, where would he be?

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**a/n Don't forget to review!**

**a/n By the way I had no idea what I was talking about with the Bio stuff, so please don't read too much into it.**


	11. Chapter 11

**a/n No I didn't die, I've just been busy.**

**a/n So remember when I said you could expect regular updates again, yeah I lied, obviously.**

**a/n I really didn't do that on purpose, but a lot of things have been happening in my life as of late and I'm just learning to roll with the punches.**

**a/n So I'm still wondering if people are reading this, it's been so long all of you have probably deserted me, if you are there, show me in a review?**

**a/n Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Screen gems own the rights to the Covenant.**

**a/n MCR= My chemical Romance**

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Chapter 11- Bedazzled Bonfire

Bella moved her strokes to an even tempo so that they were in tune to the beat she was trying to stay in sync with.

It was proving difficult, she was listening to MCR and the full blast of electric guitar wasn't proving easy to sync with the pace she had set.

Bella was finishing up the last few strokes on the far wall when the music stopped. Bella put the paint brush down and picked up her MP3 player. She had refused to give into the I Pod craze and had settled for a nice, cheaper model. Bella was perfectly happy with it, so happy it seemed that she proved intent on breaking it by over use.

"Damn battery," she muttered and dropped the crimson device on her newspaper covered bed.

Bella stood back and admired her handiwork; the freshly painted wall had, of course, required paint which meant another trip to the hardware store. After her run in with Cullen senior, she had completely forgotten her main reason for entering the place to begin with.

Bella sighed, and dunked the roller in the already poured paint, resuming her work. It was getting harder, she found, the longer she painted the heavier her arm felt, and the more her sore muscles ached. It had been nearly a month since the fire, and the life changing end the battle between the Sons of Ipswich and her brother.

"_Chase?"_

_..._

"_CHASE?!" _

_The raw wood, burning and charring, had caused such an undisturbed noise, such a remarkably dense sound that it seemed the ambient red and orange was consuming her voice along with the free oxygen that fuelled this fire._

"_Chase?!" She tried again._

_She wondered if it would be as impossible to be heard as it was to be seen. _

_Surely it was as impossible; the flames from the barn licked the sides of the building like and overzealous child coveting a precious fruit. It didn't matter that Bella had additional powers to her arsenal. Fire won them all out._

_Bella pondered for a few seconds what to do. Time, the precious gift of life ticked away quickly, but only brought more burnt wood and less places to look._

_What do I do? Bella wondered. _

_There were probably three options she had left now, three options left in this crazy situation._

_One: go in the barn and find Chase._

_A likely idea, but the most successful one; Chase could only escape with her help now, and while the heat was unbearable here inside it would be ten times worse inside. _

_Option two: leave. _

_Plain. Simple. Easy. _

_It would not call anything from her to walk away, her conscious aside, and Chase could probably help himself out anyway..._

_Option three: Get help._

_It would be easier on her. Going into a burning building was a fireman's job, and the last time she checked she wasn't as qualified as the life saving heroes. _

_...Options._

_Right away Bella knew which one she would choose, leaving would be too complicated, the repercussions of Chase finding out if he escaped would be dangerous, and would most definitely turn to a dual of their own._

_Outside help would be a problem. _

_No one would understand teenage boys innocently setting a barn on fire...Or would they?_

_Bella thought she picked up the distant sounds of a fire engine's horn. _

_True, she could not see the boys on the side of the barn she was on, but she knew not that they wouldn't leave until they knew what had happened to Chase._

_Option one then._

_Bella felt horrible for even considering other alternatives, but in truth she barely knew Chase, he was someone __she had met awhile ago who had__claimed to be her brother. Sure, he had been nothing but nice and helpful (especially with the powers she had but knew nothing about) but could she really risk her life for someone she barely knew__?_

_Whatever the answer was she knew she had to either way._

_Bella took a calming breath before heading headlong into the inferno. She was trying, fruitlessly, to convince herself that she wasn't as scared as she was in reality._

_Bella stepped into the barely there entry that the burning barn allowed, fire was everywhere; she couldn't see anything else but orange and red._

_To the left, and to the right, everything was aflame._

"_Chase?'_

_..._

"_Chase?!"_

"_Bella?"_

_Bella looked round; Chase was slumped against the doorway with a worried expression on his face._

"_Where you listening to me?"_

_Bella shook her head once, both trying to dislodge her troublesome thoughts and seem less crazy then she felt._

Bella sat on her bed with her head clutched in her hands, remembering the fire always brought her unnecessary pain, and she never fully understood where it came from.

She would have nightmares tonight, that was for sure.

Just as Bella sat up after having a particularly hard time locking her thoughts away she saw Chase standing there in her doorway. The eerie memory of that night came back to her just then and caused her to look down at her feet instead of her brother's face.

Chase knew what was wrong, every time his sister got that look on her face, that 'I hate what I've become' look she wore sometimes, he felt himself cringe. He wanted to throw himself in front of the nearest passing bus every time he saw that look.

"Bella..."

"No, leave it. I'm fine."

Chase knew that that was most definitely a lie.

He walked into her room and kneeled before her, "Bella take off your shirt."

Bella's shocked gaze rose to meet Chase's.

"Aw don't even go there; I just wanted to see your burns."

Bella's face relaxed and she huffed indignantly, but raised her shirt sleeves all the same.

Chase gently took Bella's small arm in his own and examined it. It was still an angry red, it being the less serious of burns she had received, but it still looked the same. Still.

Chase imitated his sister and let out an exasperated breath, these burns had barely made any progress, and he couldn't figure out why.

Bella removed the rest of her shirt so that Chase could look at the burns she had suffered on her back; they were much the same as the ones on her arms, though a bit worse off.

Chase looked at them carefully, the burns were spread out, but originated on her lower back, and they didn't climb that far up, but were still apparent on her fair, pale skin.

"I don't get it; can't you just try and heal it?" She asked, fully knowing the answer.

"No, I wouldn't know how to even if I tried, and I don't even think it would work."

Bella sighed and fell back on her newspaper covered bed, wincing slightly and pulling her tank top down as it rode up.

"Should I go to a doctor?"

"Probably, I'll go and make an appointment."

"In Port Angeles, please, I don't need all of Forks knowing everything about me."

He grunted in response and went downstairs, looking for the phone book.

Bella closed her eyes, the shrinking sunlight only meant one thing, night was coming and the rest of the day was ticking away.

Bella was exhausted, after painting all day she felt fatigued in ways she hadn't since...the fire.

Bella moved to the one and only window that decorated her room and opened it, making sure that a clean paint-fumed free breeze rolled in.

After she had changed into some comfy and a little warmer pyjamas than she was used to (it had gotten colder in the last week) Bella settled into bed. It was initially difficult for her to settle down, but as she drifted off a certain bronze haired someone popped into her mind, and she couldn't tell if the sudden breeze or a distant memory channelled the half cocky half nervous laugh she fell asleep to.

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**a/n soooo I suck at updating...I know**

**a/n I really don't have an excuse except writing for me isn't as fun as it once was :(**


	12. Chapter 12

**a/n this one is a little longer...hope you like ;)**

**a/n Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Screen gems own the rights to the Covenant.**

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Now it's been a while so he's a little recap of what happened last time on Coven of Solitude...

~Bella suffered some burns on her back from when we learned she helped Chase out of the barn when he escaped Caleb (in the Covenant).

~In an attempt to get closer to the Cullen's Bella and Chase crashed a charity event and ended up pledging to build Forks High a new pool. It cost them fifty grand.

~In a change of events, Edward's POV was revealed and you found out that Chase and Bella have been blocking him of their thoughts since the first couple days of school.

~Chase's hunch that the Cullen's were vampires was confirmed when Jessica revealed little details about them (same as in the book).

~Bella was a little shocked to notice that she cared about Edward (more so than the average person) while working on their project together.

~The fire (in the barn) is causing Bella some stress.

~And lastly, Bella seems to have more powers that she's aware of (*hint of foreshadowing*).

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Chapter 12- There and back again

Bella stared at her alarm clock as the instrument measured the time that was ticking past. It was understandable that she hadn't been able to sleep since her nightmare had woke her up, but the result had left Bella staring at her alarm clock and watching the time tick closer to her destined wake up time.

She was exhausted. The honest truth was that the move coupled with the change in time zones had caused an underlying fatigue in her conscious, but the start to her nightmares had guaranteed a series of sleepless nights. As March turned into April Bella grew less focused and more drained. It was clear to her brother Chase that something was wrong, but not knowing the subject of her nightly horrors hindered his ability to pinpoint the problem.

_It's just as well,_ Bella thought, _I can't tell him he is a part of the bad dreams._

Bella made a snap decision. She knew that sleep would not come for the rest of the night, so she decided to find a way to pass the time.

Insomnia wasn't something that Bella had counted on when she joined the realm of the supernatural, seeing as The Power allowed her to do almost anything, but as days turned into weeks Bella soon realised that the nightmares she was having weren't going to go away all by themselves.

Bella walked down the quiet halls of her home and wished she knew of something to do. All was quiet and her mind tended to wander without any provocation.

"_Stop fidgeting." Chase scolded his sister._

_Bella looked over to him and gave him a dirty look, it was easy for him to say._

_They were in the doctor's office, Chase had made the appointment for Bella as promised, but they had been asked to come back for a follow-up. Initially the doctor had been a little shocked that Bella harboured such serious burns, but after a close examination he had asked to have a specialist brought in to look at them. Bella wasn't sure if this was routine, but _any _answers were better than the constant questions her mind kept shooting at her._

"_Dr. Francis will see you now," the kind nurse at the reception desk told them._

_Bella nodded her head and gave an uncharacteristic thank you as she made her way inside the small office like room._

_She was beyond nervous, for some reason, having someone other than her brother look at her burns was like an invasion of her personal space, and even though it was necessary she found it difficult to trust a total stranger._

"_Mr. and Ms. Collins, I take it?"_

_Bella and Chase looked up into the eyes of their new doctor. _

_Bella barely noticed the new doctor. Dr. Francis was unlike the nerdy and bookish doctor she had painted him as in her mind, though he was slightly handsome he wasn't above average and Bella found focusing on his face difficult, though her lethargy._

"_Well Miss Swan, someone tells me that you've got some pretty nasty burns on your side. Would you mind if I take a look?"_

Bella walked down the hall towards the recreation room she and Chase had created. Its purpose was to be a dining room, but since Chase didn't cook and Bella barely did, it served better as a recreational room.

In the month that they had been there Bella and Chase had managed to fill the room with some of their favourite games and activities.

The far wall was covered in Chase and Bella's favourite video games, while the opposite wall was stacked with board games and puzzles, some Bella noticed were from her childhood.

She walked over to the old and frayed box of an old favourite, Candyland. It had been played so many times that the old cardboard base was tearing in the middle and several of the pieces were missing. Chase had almost thrown it out, but Bella had claimed that the piece held sentimental value, and he had relented, not wanting to upset her.

Beyond everything Bella just wanted to sit in the quiet, so she sat down at one of the poker tables Chase had bought for the room and opened a deck of cards.

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After three straight hours of solitaire Bella got dressed and headed off to school. She wasn't in the mood for another fashion statement meant to capture the attention of Forks High so she chose a simple pleated cardigan and jeans, hoping she would blend in.

As Bella walked away from Chase and the Maserati she grew annoyed with her own behaviour. For all of the spunk and sass she knew she had, it had been drained from her like water from a tap. She felt worn, like she wasn't herself but was trying to act like it anyway. The nightmares she now faced every night were taking their toll, and Bella walked around in a daze for most of the day, only vaguely noticing when Chase asked if she would be alright joining Mike Newton and his table as he sat next to Lauren and her three hundred dollar heels.

Bella didn't even realise that she had dozed off in the cafeteria while Jessica had been talking to her until her voice rang clear in her ear.

"Bella. Bella?"

She raised her head only for a moment to look at Jessica, hopefully conveying a 'leave me alone look' with her eyes.

Jessica's face fell. "You weren't listening to me were you?"

Normally Bella would have at least tried to spare the girls feelings, but, being on such a short fuse and running on such a small amount of sleep, she didn't feel like censoring herself.

"No, Jessica, I-"

"Oh my gosh! Edward Cullen is looking over here!"

Bella cut her sentence short and looked over to the girl who had spoken. She didn't know her but, followed her gaze anyway.

She was surprised when she looked over to the Cullen's table to find that Edward was, in fact, staring at her in what she presumed was more than a very intrigued glance.

She did not have time to dwell on Edward at all though because just as she was about to give him the stink eye for staring at her, the bell rang.

Bella gathered the little remnants of lunch that she had not touched and headed to her sixth period class; as Bella sat down she became immediately peeved when she remembered who she shared it with.

Edward Cullen wasted no time in making it to sixth period Biology, he didn't really understand why; he only knew that for some reason he felt compelled to be there.

As he seated himself in his usual seat he began to understand why. The lovely, and oh so cynical Bella Swan was seated right next to him, and lately she'd been increasingly entertaining to be around. Her short temper and fiery attitude made everyone within her vicinity shrink back and pretend to not exist. She wasn't a bully, but Edward noticed that she managed to carry her own well, unlike some of the other girls at Forks High. He found the strength to be a somewhat attractive quality.

And yet, Edward didn't need to be a mind reader to see the weakness in her. It was obvious that Bella wasn't getting very much sleep, he could see it in every movement she made. They were all sluggish delayed responses someone would give if under the influence of an impairing substance or otherwise half-asleep. The circles under her eyes spoke for themselves, and if he were, at all, on speaking terms with her then he would most likely have shown his concern.

But he wasn't. The closest they had come to even remotely conversing had been when he'd had her over to his house.

Bella...

He had been a little surprised when she had said she'd preferred it over her full name, but had changed the way he addressed her immediately, not wanting to send her into what was obviously one of many tantrums.

Bella Swan was someone he knew he had never encountered before; she had more moods on her than the average girl at Forks High and was different because of it. Edward could never say that she was like every other girl...

Since she most certainly was not.

Suddenly Bella looked up at him from where she had rested her head against the desk. Normally, Edward wouldn't care much about being caught staring but it was the sheer irritation in Bella's eyes that kept his eyes locked to hers for the second time that day.

"Ms. Swan, Mr. Cullen, nice work."

Edward looked up to see Mr. Banner handing back their projects, corrected and marked. He was pleased when he saw the A+ that was written legibly on the front in red pen.

"We passed," he said smugly to Bella.

Bella scowled and resisted the urge to throw her text book at him. "Yes, we did, even with you missing for over two weeks in between."

He was silent, it was true he had missed several classes of Biology, but he had had a very important reason for it.

"Bella-"

"Forget it Edward," she cut him off. "I don't care about your excuses. It doesn't matter anymore."

An involuntary frown settled on Edward's face for a moment as he took in her words.

"Really, it doesn't matter to you at all?"

He was joking, hoping to add a little humour to the situation when he caught sight of her expression.

"Don't."

"Bella what's wrong?"

Bella expression had faltered, only for a second, but it was long enough for Edward to see that the lack of sleep wasn't the only thing that was affecting her these days.

"I said don't."

"-Bella, please."

It was when Bella slammed down her books that Edward knew he was in trouble.

"Uh, can't you just drop it please? I _really _don't give a flying fuck what the hell you have to say. I don't care if were sick, ok drunk, or joined the Marines for a few weeks, either way it's over with!"

Edward closed his mouth in silence, he hadn't expected that outburst, and really didn't know where it had come from. Sure, Bella looked tired and worn out, but he could tell that there was something else. Something he knew she had no plans in sharing. Edward sat back in his chair and faced forward, he would figure her out soon enough.

Bella turned in her seat to find the entire class looking at her. Bella sighed and placed her head on her desk, ignoring the rest of the class and waiting for Mr. Banner to start his lecture.

*

By the end of the day Bella was worn out. It had been a long day, and the combination of her lack of sleep, Edward Cullen, and the rest of the sleep inducing teachers at Forks High caused her to practically drag her feet towards the Maserati.

"Are you okay Bella?"

Bella was about to answer when she realised that it wasn't her brother's voice that had asked the question.

Bella turned to look into the visually pleasing eyes of Edward Cullen.

Bella sighed. If she had had more sleep the night before than Bella would not have hesitated to tell Edward off, but the day was wearing her thin and she felt so tired that she could cry.

"Edward," she interrupted him before he could start, "I would really love to tell you where to shove it right about now, but I really don't have the energy to, so I'm going to do something I never do and ask nicely. Please fuck off?"

Edward looked taken aback, he had merely come over to apologise to her and had been kindly asked to 'fuck off', and he didn't know what to say.

"Uh..."

Bella took his loss for words as a break in the conversation and opted for and out.

"I'll see you tomorrow Edward, bye."

As Chase sped out of the parking lot, Bella noticed in her rear view mirror that Edward had not moved and was, in fact, standing shock still where she'd left him.

'In all my years, Edward thought, I've never met one like her.'

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**a/n If you've seen New Moon, then you're going to comment, and tell me how you liked it (or didn't, though I have to say it was MUCH better than Twilight) **

**a/n Outfit on my website (link on my profile)**


	13. Chapter 13

a/n yup another chapter, I'm as surprised as you are.

**a/n Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Screen gems own the rights to the Covenant.**

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Chapter 13-The insistent sound of sleep

Bella was lying in bed when she heard a very quiet yet distinct tapping noise. She did not open her eyes, yet the noise stopped, as if the maker knew it was disturbing her.

Still, not twenty seconds later (and Bella was sure it was twenty seconds for she began counting sheep) the noise sounded again, louder this time.

Slightly frustrated, Bella opened her eyes. She was met with complete and total darkness but the small beam of light that came from her window provided her with the small ounce needed to see.

Her room was completely quiet. Her bed, dresser, and nightstand were large, but fit nicely in the space she had. Bella had quite the cozy setting and she loved it, the independence was something to get used to, but she was now finding it to be rather nice not having to depend on anyone else.

Bella rolled over in bed. Moving closer to the window she could now watch it without moving. Bella was almost sure that the noise was something hitting her window. It was most likely a tree branch, Bella thought, something small if pushed the right way could definitely make such a noise.

It only took a couple of seconds for Bella to lose interest, before long she could feel her lids drooping and begging for sleep. It had been a long day, and she was hoping that if she went to bed early enough that she could get a couple of hours in before the nightmares started.

Before sleep took her however, there was the insistent tapping noise again.

Bella eyes snapped open, when they were met with nothing of consequence she felt as though she wanted to cry.

Quick and searing hot anger passed through her. What was that noise, she wondered. There had to be something seriously wrong with the weather, trees don't scrape across windows this way, her thoughts continued.

As Bella moved from her warm and comfortable bed, she cursed whatever it was that was costing her valuable sleeping time.

_For as long as he'd known The Power coursed through his veins. _

_As a child, he'd been granted the easy life. The history of The Power went back generations, and with it were pure and generous funds willing to support the families of the __betrothed__._

_He was the product of such a union._

_It was easy, he assumed, to be wooed by money and splendour, but the sad truth didn't cushion the blow, it only seemed to make it worse._

_Growing up, the topic was somewhat taboo, his mother had always been afraid of The Power, but the love she had for his father had won out, and so she had stayed. The memories of happiness were hard to draw out of his memory now, and were stained at best. _

_Time passed in gradients, the measure of it passed slowly, building in a steep and irreversible nature only to lead to something that he wished would never come. But fate careened it to crash around him. _

_It was only a matter of time before The Power changed his father into something else altogether._

_Everything changed after that. __It l__eft a little boy without any parents to look up to. He had no real family, except his brothers._

_They were the only ones who knew how hard it was to deny The Power, and they were the only ones who were left to._

_He had never felt so alone._

Edward Cullen had never had any real interest in women.

Once when he was a newborn and had broken free of Carlisle's influence he had pursued the scent of a wantonly beautiful woman whose perfume raked him with thirst.

Carlisle had only managed to pull him away, but not without scarring the young woman for life. Even then he had not appreciated beauty as it was rightly meant to be appreciated.

In his rebellious years Edward had broken away from Carlisle and his influence. He had wanted something different for himself; something that he felt couldn't be achieved when his mentor and father believed something so very different that he.

It was spite, in a way; Edward resented what Carlisle had made him, and had him believe. He assumed that every boy needed a sort of coming of age, and separation from their parents, however Edward's teenage years had been interrupted by a deadly virus that had taken his life, as well as those of his parents. If it hadn't been for Carlisle he would have been buried in the hospital's shallow graves right next to them.

Carlisle's influence was something that he was not at all accustomed to deflecting.

Currently, standing outside Bella Swan's house, he contemplated how deep he was getting, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

Bella was like an enigma, one that he couldn't access or figure out no matter what he did.

As he perched outside her window he barely understood how insane this whole idea was.

Bella would undoubtedly be in school the next day, he would see her then, but for some reason he couldn't wait until then to see her.

Whenever Bella was around him she had a veil cast around her, blocking herself off from everyone around her, hiding the real her so that no one would be able to see whatever it was that she held so carefully to her chest. Edward knew what it was like to hold on to a secret, and the holy grail of secrets at that, so he understood her reluctance, what he didn't understand was why it seemed so difficult to let anyone near her. Even her brother she seemed to keep at arm's length. At times he wondered what was so severe that she wanted to block it all out. What could be so bad? Human memories faded over time, though hers seemed to stick with her in a repeating cycle of love and loss.

As Edward pondered Bella's situation in more depth, her window suddenly flew open. He moved as fast as his body would allow him out of her line of sight, avoiding falling into the penetrating gaze that was wholly insinuating murder of the second degree.

Sitting in the dark shade of twilight, Edward had not realised that his weight had caused the closest limbs of the tree to slide up and down Bella's bedroom window. It was making an awful scratching noise, and he assumed while trying to sleep that it was not the best remedy.

Bella stared at the spot he was hidden for five solid seconds before slamming the window shut and snuggling back into her bed.

Edward blew out a sigh of relief, he didn't know how he would have explained himself if he had been caught. "_Hi I can't get you out of my head so I just thought I'd come and watch you sleep to see if I could riddle you out."_

No way in hell would Bella have left him in any good shape after that one.

He waited until her breathing evened out before edging towards the window, extremely careful not to wake her and set off the fire brigade.

He knew that it was only carelessness that had drew attention to his presence in the first place, but he had never done this before and wanted to make sure that Bella was completely asleep before spying on her. Edward edged into the room slowly; he was immediately hit with wave after wave of her scent. It didn't deter him; he had grown accustomed to it in their days of biology together, but it was difficult to become accustomed to such an intensity.

Edward admired her room as he looked around. The room was fairly large, though slightly smaller that his. He could tell that Bella had decorated it herself; the vibrant colours and designs that adorned her walls spoke of such a truth. A four poster bed sat in the middle of it all and Edward could see amongst all of the pillows Bella tucked haphazardly in her sheets.

He sat in one of the chairs near the window. It was very soft and had about a half dozen tiny pillows on it, obstructing his ability to sit comfortably. As he sank into the fabric pure undisturbed _Bella whooshed_ into the air. Edward was momentarily stunned by the intensity of her scent. Her room did carry a concentrated volume, and he felt as though he was being pelted with it from all sides.

Edward watched as Bella tossed and turned in her sleep. She seemed incredibly restless, and Edward had no idea why. He remembered her face earlier in the day and how tired and worn she had looked.

Nothing good had come of those looks of fatigue and exhaustion. Edward knew that whatever was keeping her up at night must be pretty serious.

As Bella's tossing grew worse Edward worried that she would wake, he knew that the situation he found himself in was not meant to be revealed to anyone, least of all Bella.

He moved silently, hoping the floorboard in his path didn't squeak like he knew it would. As he moved closer Bella's scent grew exponentially stronger. Bella stirred gently, but otherwise remained asleep. Edward let the ghost of his hand rest on her forehead for a fraction of a second before sliding it down to cup her cheek. He didn't want to tempt fate, so before she could stir, he dashed into the night, fearing he had stepped too far.

Whilst Edward slipped through Bella's windows for what he hoped was the last time he heard her sigh, and knew without a doubt he'd be back again.

*

Bella awoke feeling slightly restless but otherwise rested. She had been surprised when she realised that no nightmares had darkened her night, but grateful. Despite her great rest she still felt at least a month's worth of sleepless nights weighing her down. As much as she knew she couldn't, she wanted to snuggle into bed and go back to sleep. As it was, she knew Chase wouldn't allow it so she got out of bed and stretched, walking slowly to her bathroom.

She had been prescribed some anti-anxiety medication recently after the accident. Her nightmares had been a common occurrence then, and the medication helped her relax and eased her into sleep. She knew now that her re-occurring nightmares were not a good sign, but for the benefit of the doubt she wanted relief today, more so than she ever did before.

As Bella swallowed her pills she noted that they were running low, and needed to be refilled.

With a sigh Bella got dressed and prepared herself for another day at Forks High.

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**a/n Daylight savings time sucks, the sun sets at like 4:30PM where I live! That means I typed this chapter in the dark. :)**

**a/n Review and you might just find out who our mystery guy is. **


	14. Chapter 14

a/n Mystery guy is staying anonymous for now, but I'll be sure to sneak in another one of his POV's in soon ;)

**a/n Okay I've gone back and edited everything before this point. Some things were bothering me that I wanted to fix, so I have. I hope it doesn't cause any confusion.**

a/n In case it wasn't clear all content in _Italics_ in previous and continuous chapters are flashbacks. The POV does vary, so pay attention. In the last chapter the POV was specifically written to be a mystery.

a/n JUST TO BE CLEAR, EDWARD ISN'T ATTRACTED TO BELLA BECAUSE OF HER SCENT, NOR IS HE TEMPTED BY HER BLOOD. IN FACT, IT DOESN'T AFFECT HIM AS STRONGLY AS IT DOES IN THE BOOK.

**a/n Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Screen gems own the rights to the Covenant.**

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Chapter 14-Lucky Duck

The past week had been difficult, Bella swore that she saw more of Edward Cullen these days than she did her own brother, Chase.

It was all because of the incident that she was hoping to put behind them, something that Edward seemed intent on not letting her forget.

"_Are you alright?" Chase asked. He had been extremely concerned for his sister ever since her nightmares began again, he wasn't sure what was causing the re-occurrence, but he knew that whatever it was, it was nothing good._

"_I'm fine," Bella responded she knew that Chase was only concerned for her, but the constant hovering was dragging down her mood. _

"_Bella-" Chase began._

_Bella rounded on him, "-look I know ok. I'm tired all the time and withdrawn and all that other touchy feely crap. I know I'm being a bitch, but I just can't ok, not right now."_

_Chase eyed Bella for a moment. He knew what she was saying, she was stressed because of the nightmares and was acting out because of it, but she needed to act this way. As much as she wanted to put on a happy face and pretend that everything was alright, that just wasn't Bella, and he couldn't expect that from her either._

"_I understand," he said._

"_I need some time," she concluded, thoroughly miserable._

_Chase nodded and left it at that, when Bella wanted to talk, she would he couldn't make her._

_Bella sighed as she watched Chase walk away, she knew she was hurting her brother by keeping the source of her troubles away from him, but until she felt she could talk to him about it then she couldn't say anything._

_Bella settled into her daily routine, attending class after class until she thought she might gouge her eyes out from the normalcy. _

_It was in the lunchroom that day that she really noticed how much had changed. _

_Chase, normally, sitting with one of the few blonde airheads Forks High kept in stock, sat next to her, trying not to hover nor care._

_Bella didn't know where it came from, but one minute there was a tense silence between them, the next, there was an animosity that even she did not want to break._

"_Bella," Bella stared in disbelief as Edward Cullen looked back at her from her own lunch table. She did not know what to make of it, they hadn't spoken more than two words to each other since she had yelled at him, and yet there he was._

_Edward sat there waiting for Bella to acknowledge his greeting. He knew it was a long shot but for some reason he felt compelled to smooth things over with her, to make things _right.

"_...Edward," Bella responded back uncertainly. She had no idea what he was here for, and she was a little unnerved at his audacity to sit at her lunch table when they had exchanged such few words._

"_Bella, I was wondering if you would allow me the chance to-"_

"_Hold on. What is this?"_

_Both Bella and Edward turned their heads to look at Chase. They had both unknowingly ignored him, but as Bella knew, Chase was hardly one to go unnoticed._

_Bella looked back at Edward in question. She had no knowledge of what he wanted to say, so he was just going to have to take this one on his own. _

_Edward looked from Chase to Bella, knowing this would in no way be easy._

"_I wanted to talk to your sister about the way I have been acting," he turned to Bella, "we've both said some things I'm sure we're both not proud of..."_

_Edward continued on but all Bella could think about was the way she had yelled at him last week. She had been beyond exhausted, and incredibly irritable, but even she couldn't justify telling someone to _'kindly fuck off'.

_Bella shushed him and began her own self explanation._

"_Edward wait, there is no reason you should be apologising. Last week I was...not myself, I can't take it back but I can say that I wish I could. I'm apologetic for the way that I acted; I never meant to attack you like that."_

_Edward smiled. It was the first genuine smile that she had seen from him, and she had to admit that it held some charm._

_Chase on the other hand didn't think so. He was staring at Bella as if she had lost her mind, and couldn't for the life of him logically understand what had happened. Here with was a Vampire, a being that he'd thought she barely knew and out of nowhere she was apologising?!_

_It went against everything that Chase knew about his sister. She wasn't one for kind words, or apologies, or to even admit when she was wrong. But somehow this Cullen had broken down her walls and exposed the insecure, shy girl he knew was hiding underneath. _

_Edward Cullen had done in one month what it'd taken him three years. _

_He had gotten though to Bella._

_Without a word, he excused himself from the table. Both Edward and Bella watched him go; Bella with regret and Edward with a twinge of smug satisfaction._

Chase hadn't spoken to her for five days. She didn't even know what he had done wrong, and it wasn't as if Chase was hell bent on filling her in.

Bella sighed; solitude was turning out to be her new course in life.

The only good thing that she could see of Chase's behaviour was that Edward Cullen had been sitting with her at lunch.

It was strange at first, she hadn't realised it, but when Chase left she began to notice the stares and confused looks she had attracted to herself. _Everyone_ wanted to know what she was doing with the illustrious _Edward Cullen._

The second day she was more surprised than ever that Edward had sat down next to her. She was still a little bitter, Chase had still not said a word to her at that point and Edward's seating arrangements only proved to make her truly think over sitting with him. But it was more than that, she could see that Edward only wanted to be nice to her, and wasn't expecting anymore than that. After everything that had happened, it was nice to have someone other than her flesh and blood actually stop and ask her how she was doing. At first, she had thought that Edward had meant it out of pity. She had sneered thinking of the a-hole vampire who thought he was above everyone, but walking the halls and seeing his face every time he had passed her had inclined her to change her mind. Maybe he wasn't the pretty playboy she had painted him as in her mind.

Bella sat there confused, she had wanted to talk to him and ask what he was playing at, but she couldn't. Bella had begun to sincerely doubt he was playing any games at all. Chase had given her very little information on the Cullen's, she knew the facts, and could probably rattle off Edward's social security number, but that didn't answer the question of who they were as people, as ironic as that question was in the first place.

One thing was for sure, Edward Cullen had gotten under her skin.

It had started with a simple project; something that Bella never could have guessed could stir such inappropriate feelings for a vampire, no less a man. From there things had gotten so muddled and confusing that even she had trouble remembering which way was up anymore.

Bella had stared at him as he stared at her, both muddling out their own inner ramblings while trying to figure each other out.

They hadn't spoken that day, nor did they speak the next. It wasn't until the third day that Bella's fatigue and irritability seemed to make her snap.

"Edward," she said once he'd sad down at her table.

He looked at her as if what she was about to say would be the answer to all life's questions.

Bella couldn't help but smirk at his little puppy dog behaviour.

"I'd like to apologise," she began. When Edward opened his mouth she ploughed on, knowing what he was likely going to say, "Formally, so this shit doesn't get in the way later."

Edward shut his mouth quickly, and she internally scolded herself at swearing at him again. He seemed like the type that didn't appreciate tactless behaviour.

"Sorry, look when you acted all happy-go-lucky about our project when you were barely around, and then acted like an asshole about it, well, I kind of lost it."

Edward smirked, and she could tell he was holding back an 'gee really?' sentiment.

"Things kind of snowballed from there and before you know it I'm yelling at you in front of the whole school." She smiled openly and continued, "Lately I've been taking all of my anger and frustration out on you without really realising what I've been doing and, gosh, I'm _sorry._

Edward stared amusedly at her while she ranted. He had to say that he was pleased that she had managed to not yell at him for something yet, and even more pleased that it seemed that they were moving towards something...more. And yet, he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"Edward," she sighed, bringing him out of his internal monologue. "I have a lot going on right now and its taking its toll, I –I can't explain, but just..."

"It's ok Bella, some things are meant for another time." He smiled and felt a warm sensation course through his body when she smiled back.

Edward's smiled turned sour as he remembered why he'd been stalling for so long. She'd said what was on her mind, and it was only fair that he took his turn now.

"Bella, I neverwanted to create a rift between you and your brother, it was something I never anticipated when coming to talk to you on Wednesday."

Bella sighed, they were really rounding all of the apology bases today weren't they?

"When I asked if you were alright, I _really_ meant it." He added sincerely, he hoped that would help win her over.

"Why do you care?" Bella asked sarcastically, trying fruitlessly to brush off the emotion. "She couldn't handle anything when her nerves were frayed like used cable wires.

"I don't' know," Edward replied honestly.

Bella sighed, "Don't hurt me Edward, it may not seem like it but I'm pretty fragile."

Bella knew she'd been opening up to him more than she ever had to anyone else before and that thought scared her. She didn't know what to do, or how to act around him, but knew for sure that it would devastate her if this truce died between them.

"I know," he replied, "and that's what scares me."

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a/n REVIEW DAMMIT, MAKE ME LOOK GOOD ;)

Some recs in case you get bored between updates

**Elemental » by TallulahBelle**

It is some serious supernatural romance Wiccan shit. I LOVE it! It's like Twilight, meets the Da Vinci code, and meets the Covenant. Super cool if you like the supernatural.

**The Ex Factor: Edward & Bella » by AngelAtTwilight**

If you haven't read this it is a sin. No really. Burn baby burn. It's about E &B (AU & AH) trying to survive without each other after breaking up in high school. Its Angsty, funny, sexy and makes you want Edward in ways any girl shouldn't want a fictional character.

**Disintegration » by meimei42**

If the last one was angsty this one REALLY is. I've just finished reading it and it is powerful. It really opened my eyes to the struggles and heartache and the pain you face when being addicted to a substance, specifically an illegal one. It's an E&B story which is kind of hard to believe, but it does have a HEA, despite everything that happens. Oh and its REALLY good.

**High Anxiety » by EdwardsBloodType**

It lives up to its name. This _literally _kept me up reading, and is partly the reason why the update took so long. E &B are younger 16, but have to deal with the emotional baggage of having traumatic pasts. Its tension, tension, tension with these two, and …Jasper's involved? Yeah, go read it.

And one more for good measure. Ladies, do you like Lawyerward? Darkward? How about Artistward????

Not sure? Try it out; he'll knock your socks off...or maybe more than just that.

**Caravaggio » by meimei42**

"AH. Bella's parents have commissioned a painting to be done of her by a one Edward Cullen. He's too suave for his own good and before long he's trying to talk Bella right out of her clothes."

There's the summary, you decide for yourselves.

a/n Oh and please, if you're below the legal drinking age, cannot vote, or buy porn, don't read a M rated story, cause chances are it's not for you.

Chow!


	15. Chapter 15

**a/n Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and Screen gems o****wn the rights to the Covenant.**

a/n Thank you for the reviews, and a special reviewer that thought that Chase was out of line and Bella should have tried harder, I hope that she makes it up to you in this chapter.

a/n Oh and I know that some of you are patient and very loyal for not abandoning me after all of this time, and I am going to try and make my chapters longer from now on. :D

a/n Also, due to some unforeseen circumstances (i.e. me watching the Covenant again) I've come to realise that for my plot I need to adjust the fact that Chase's mom died when he was two in the movie. For all intents and purposes she died during childbirth, and they were both separated after that.

a/n I believe that the following flashback is the longest I've ever written and will ever write, enjoy!

Props to my new Beta** lanacullen21** for helping me with this chapter!

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Chapter 15- Rolling tides

On Monday, marking day five of Chase's silent treatment, Bella began to plan.

She had spent the whole weekend anxious and fidgety because of both her and Edward's temporary separation and her and Chase's seemingly permanent one.

Chase had continued to ignore her until she proposed this plan. She didn't like it, but at this point she and Chase's relationship meant more to her than Edward's.

"_Chase…"_

_Silence._

"_Chase you're going to have to talk to me sometime. It's not like you can ignore me forever," Bella pointed out._

_She and Chase hadn't spoken in as much as a week, she was frustrated, angry, frazzled and completely at odds as to what she could do to gain back Chase's respect._

_To say that things were strained between them would be an understatement._

_Bella wanted to know what exactly was bothering Chase so much about her relationship with Edward Cullen, if you could even call what they were doing a relationship. She knew her brother, and he wasn't easily thrown by the mythical and supernatural shit as easily as a regular person would be. She knew that he had little reservations over the fact that Edward was a vampire, hell; they were witches for Christ sakes!_

_Whatever it was, it was something that they needed to talk about. Something that Bella was sure that they needed to discuss because if not, her relationship with her brother was about to become non-existent._

"_Chase!"_

_Bella's yell had finally gotten Chase to look up from where he sat on his chair. He was relaxing, something he liked to do every now and then after working in the garage or coming home from the purgatory that was Forks High._

_Chase had had a pretty hard time keeping to himself for the past week. Even though they weren't that close, he and Bella had developed a relationship that, he felt, had become much stronger than many of the bonds he'd been left to form with his tirade foster families._

_It had been hard ignoring her for this long, but the slight feeling of betrayal still hung in the air, and Chase wasn't sure what to do about it._

_Bella stood directly above him, her tiny fists on her hips and her long brunette locks twisted into a messy up-do. She looked pissed._

_Chase sighed, he knew that sooner or later she was going to corner him and forced him to talk; he just wasn't sure he was up for the conversation yet._

"_Bella." He spoke the words quietly, almost like a prayer. He half expected her to aquiest to his request and not yell, but alas, Bella was a screamer._

"_CHASE GOODWIN POPE COLLINS!"_

_It was a really bad sign when she used his whole name._

"_You have been ignoring me for the past week! And I said to myself, he's just really upset, he'll get over it, but nooo! YOU'RE NOT GETTING OVER IT!"_

_Chase had to head her off before her voice got to the decimal that only dogs could hear._

"_Bella stop. I'll talk to you, but you have to stop screaming at me, jesus."_

_Bella narrowed her eyes at her brothers attempt to belittle the conversation they were about to have but thought better of it, it would be better off if they started this conversation without yelling at each other._

"_Fine, talk. Why haven't you said a word to me all week at school?"_

_Chase sighed again, but looked Bella in the eyes. He was sincerely not looking forward to this conversation._

"_You want to know why I haven't said anything to you in five days?" He repeated slowly, whilst removing the laptop he'd been on from his lap._

"_Yes!" Bella insisted though clenched teeth._

"_It's because I can't look at you."_

_Those few words cut though Bella like a bitter wind. Ice shards pierced though her and tore her apart from the inside, slowly destroying everything in its path so that it was all an unrecognisable mass of raw and bloodied organ._

_Tears began to form in Bella's eyes and she turned away so that Chase wouldn't see them. She never cried. She had grown up an orphan and still hadn't shed a tear. No matter how many disturbed foster parents, abusive older 'brothers' and 'sisters' and uncaring social workers had been thrown her way she had made it though. Her only solace had been her last foster family. They had been kind to her when no one else had. And even after that, still she had not cried, even when she had had to leave them._

_When Chase had shown up on her 14__th__ birthday and proclaimed that he was her long lost brother she had still not shed a single fucking tear. So why now, after all this time was Isabella Marie Pope Swan tearing up?_

_Because she knew without a doubt that he was speaking the truth, and that knowledge hurt._

_Chase saw how his words had wounded his sister, and quickly tried to amend the consequences of his blunt honesty._

"_Bella, I know that our relationship hasn't exactly been an ideal one, but we've both been though a lot together. I feel like I know you, the real you and not the person you try to be to keep people away. You are who you are, and I can't fault that, but watching you with Cullen, you just…" Chase trailed off, unsure he wanted to finish his thoughts._

_Bella turned so that she didn't have her back to him and asked him to go on._

_Chase looked into Bella's eyes, he hated talking about his feelings, but if this was the way to appease Bella then he would have to, "You just let him in so easily. I know showing up out of the blue three years ago didn't really convince you that I was really your brother and I accepted that. I've had to work for your trust, your honesty and that shit is really fucking annoying to try and get when you're my sister and not some random chick I'm trying to-"_

"_Get to the point!"_

_Chase had the decency to look a little embarrassed but continued, "Right, um, I guess I just don't like the fact that you're all lovey-dovey with Cullen and let him in so easily when I'm stuck here in the dark."_

_Bella looked down at the floor and considered Chase's words. They were all true. She had seemed to let Edward in without much of a fight, at least, less of a fight than she'd given Chase. But what did that mean for them? Could Chase ever be okay with not being that person anymore, now that she had found someone else?_

_That string of questioning brought another round of questions, such as, was she ready for Edward to be that person, and could she really let him in all of the way?_

_Edward knew that he had successfully broken down all of the carefully constructed walls that Bella kept in place in order to avoid getting hurt. They were essential, growing up and moving from home to home had taught her that she could never really trust anyone. This was one of the reasons why it had taken Chase so long to win her over._

_But could she let him stand with her in the rubble, and let him see all that was left of her?_

_Bella couldn't answer these questions anymore than she believed Edward could. She would just have to wait and see where the tide took her._

_Bella sat down on the floor in front of Chase, "I'm sorry you feel that way. I didn't know you felt that way about Edward and I and I'm glad that we talked about it, but you need to know that you can't just stop talking to me when I start making friends. You talk about me letting people in and bringing down the walls I've set up but you won't do the same. Honesty is a two-way street, Chase. If you want me to really be your sister then you're going to have to trust me to be, and not just expect me to be."_

_Chase looked down at his sister. She was smaller than he was, a fact that didn't really translate since they were supposed to be identical twins, but she was stubborn to a fault and was determined and ambitious when she wanted to be, just like he was, which linked them as brother and sister. Chase knew that now that they had been honest with each other it was not the time to lie and it would be better to tell her the truth gently._

"_Bella, for three years I had to work at trying to get you to accept me as your brother, and eventually I did, I won you over, but never once did you have to work at getting my patience, my honesty or my trust. I just gave it to you! I think you're going to have to work to get me to give them back to you, because this time I'm not so sure I want to give it out so easily."_

_Bella nodded her head in acceptance, it was the first time that she and Chase had had any kind of heart to heart and considering the circumstances Chase had a point. She knew that they couldn't walk away from this all hunky-dory with everything being 'okay' because it wasn't, and that was just something Bella knew she had to accept._

"_Fine then, but I have a way that I think that I can make things up to you."_

_Chase eyed his sister. Now that they were done talking about their feelings like a bunch of pansies, he noticed that she had a familiar scheme in her eye that she usually got when plotting._

"_And what is that?" He asked._

"_I have a plan."_

"_A plan?"_

"_-To get closer to the Cullen's."_

_Chase raised a eyebrow. Their last 'plan' had not gone very well. In fact they had practically gotten nowhere in their quest to "get closer to the Cullen's so that they could befriend them and ask them to help fight against the Sons of Bitches Ipswich"._

_Bella could tell what her brother was thinking and quickly spoke to quell his fears._

_"Things are different now and __I figure if this plan works, then Edward will have no choice to protect his very close lady friend from the clutches of evil."_

_Chase sat back in his recliner and eyed Bella. He could tell as she'd said that she had fought the urge to roll her eyes, and thinking back to how she and Cullen had acted together he wasn't sure if she was up for it._

_Bella crossed her arms over her chest, "Stop doubting me, I'm up for it."_

_Chase frowned with the knowledge that Bella had been listening to his thoughts but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt._

"_So let's hear this plan."_

Bella sat in her seat on Monday morning looking a mixture of eccentric and homely. For one thing, she was wearing an old band shirt from the 80's that she wore with a skirt that would no doubt be deemed 'out of style' by several fashionistas. For the end of April in Forks, it was a strange choice, but Bella knew that her accessories made the outfit work, and for once, she felt like she wasn't dressing up and pretending to be someone else, or dressing down to be ignored. She was simply being Bella.

Plan moth to the flame had been set in motion. Bella was set to sit with Edward at lunch, like they always had, but this time she knew it would be different. If she wanted things to work the way that they were supposed to than she would have to…influence the situation.

As the clocked ticked on she felt that things were processing like they were supposed to, and she was sure that things were going to work out for lunch today.

Unexpectedly, but completely welcome, Edward Cullen was outside of her classroom when the bell rang. Fortunately for her, Alice Cullen also had English class right before lunch as well.

When Alice saw that Edward was planning on walking Bella to lunch she smiled; she was truly happy for her brother. Over the years Edward had struggled with his intrusive extra ability. The mind reader couldn't turn his power off, and without the luxury of sleep, he had been constantly present for the barrage of thoughts that wafted though his mind. But Alice finally had reason to smile for him, even though Edward had had a very hard time living with several couples, he seemed to finally have someone to share his life with.

Both Bella and Edward smiled at Alice's last thought.

Before Alice could excuse herself Bella stepped up and intervened, "Hello Alice, nice to see you again, how are you?'

Alice wasn't expecting to make conversation and she could tell that Edward wanted to get Bella her lunch since he thought that she was a little too skinny for someone so small, so she only smiled. She looked up at Edward and gauged his reaction before deciding to answer her.

"I'm just fine thank you for asking, and you?"

It had taken less than thirty seconds for the small exchange to take place but Alice could tell that Edward's patience was running thin. For an immortal, he was very impatient to spend time with his human.

Bella looked over at Edward, as if sensing his mood. She smiled and then asked him if he would mind Alice joining them for lunch. He hesitated, at which point Alice assured Bella that they would have other times they could meet for lunch but Bella could sense Alice's reluctance stem from Edward, so she decided to play a little dirty.

Looking up and down the hallway discreetly Bella turned to look at Alice, "Oh you know what, why don't we all just sit together? That way all of your brothers and sisters don't have to sit without you."

Bella had taken Alice's arm and linked it in hers and the two had begun walking down the now empty hallway. At Alice's reluctance, Bella turned to her, making sure her back was to Edward, "Let me sit with you?"

It was a question, but the firm suggestiveness of The Power flashed though Bella like a siren's call and she instantly felt the seductive nature of invincibility coursing through her veins. Bella mentally shrugged it off; she couldn't blow this chance she had with Alice.

Alice had stopped walking for a brief second, causing Bella to stop, and her face held a frozen expression before breaking out in a large, blissful smile. "Bella, you should meet the rest of the family, officially!"

Bella had not become used to Alice's exuberance, but at that moment she was only glad that her plan was still progressing on the right track.

Edward didn't seem deterred but Alice's sudden change of heart and Bella acclaimed that to the fact that it was a very Alice thing to do.

They all walked to the cafeteria together, and Bella couldn't help but feel a slight nervousness at meeting the other Cullen children (they were hardly children) she had yet to meet.

When they made it to the cafeteria, every head seemed to turn in their direction. Over the past week Bella had grown accustomed to everyone staring at her and Edward, but now that Alice stood with them as well, she knew that the gossip mill was about to go haywire.

After purchasing some food, Alice led Bella and Edward over to the table that Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett were sharing.

Edward suddenly became aware of a problem that Alice didn't seem to be concerned about. He relaxed slightly; either she had seen that Jasper would be alright sitting next to Bella or he would leave, because he knew Alice wouldn't put Bella in danger like that.

As soon as they arrived at the table all three vampires froze then gradually relaxed, getting used to the potent human scent Bella gave off.

Alice became giddy and introduced everyone who either nodded or smiled at Bella in welcome, except Rosalie who simply glowered in her direction. Showing no hard feelings (but secretly finding Rosalie hilarious) she beamed back at her, which caused Rosalie's eyes to narrow.

Emmett's loud and booming laugh caused the tense situation to ease and Bella, Edward and Alice took their seats each looking around the table a little nervously.

Since it had been Bella's idea to sit here in the first place she felt it her duty to start a conversation that made the strained silence a little less awkward.

"So, Alice Edward tells me you like fashion…" That was all Alice needed before she went off about some show that she had attended last spring, she made sure to add in that Carlisle and Esme (their parents for all intents are purposes she was sure) had good friends in Paris and had gotten her the tickets for her birthday.

Half an hour had passed with Alice talking, and before Bella realised that lunch was almost over. This was not good since she had been sincerely listening to Alice and her plans to visit London next year.

Without trying to cut Alice off, Bella tweaked the conversation a little, "So do you often travel together as a family?"

The question was innocent enough, but Bella knew just as the Cullen's did, there was a probing nature behind it.

To her surprise Rosalie answered the question, "Often, yes, we do. Our parents like us to have a mind of other cultures, as well as our own."

Bella nodded, she knew this of course, but she felt that she had to get them to open up to her.

"That's nice. How are your parents? I haven't seen them in awhile."

Edward shifted slightly and Bella turned and glanced at him, "They're fine, Esme actually misses you, she's always asks about you."

He smiled affectionately at her, and she felt timeless adoration that he seemed to care so deeply for her.

After so many weeks of back and forth agony, they had finally come to an understanding and Bella felt that Edward really did have sincere feelings for her.

If Bella was being honest with herself, then she would admit that she had honest feelings for him as well.

Suddenly, Alice gasped, "Oh you should come over and have a sleepover this weekend. We could rent movies and paint each other's toe nails and I'm sure Esme would be ecstatic to see you again."

Alice's whimsical idea had thrown everyone at the table for a loop, including Bella. The silence stretched on, but Bella felt herself agreeing to the offer for 'girl time'.

"Sure Alice," she smiled. She had not compelled Alice to this thought; it was a genuine wish of Alice's to spend more time with her.

Just as the bell rang she felt the ghost of Edward's hand at her back. She smiled as she realised he intended to walk her to class.

Sitting there in their aged and sadly ill prepared Biology lab, Bella let her mind wander. She had gotten what she wanted, time with the Cullen's outside of school, however something felt off track. Bella realized that while the plan to get closer to the Cullen's was working brilliantly, she still needed to work to get closer to Edward.

Her main source of infatuation was sitting beside her, completely oblivious to her strategic thoughts. Bella wondered how she would manage a date with him by the end of the week and not have it look suspicious. Moving at a cautious, but delicate pace was critical, and she knew that if she moved too fast that she would endanger the situation somehow.

As Bella listen to their teacher dully explain that they would be watching a movie on some specimen over the course of the next few days she felt as though she would pass out from the boredom. It was unexpected, then when Edward leaned towards her minutely.

"Bella?"

She felt her breathing accelerate.

"Yes?"

"You're hurting the environment."

Bella stared in confusion over at Edward while he simply smirked at her.

"What?"

He nodded his head over to her hands and Bella looked down. While lost in thought she had unconsciously been shredding pieces of her notebook. Tiny bits of paper littered the desk, and she finally understood his comment. With the amount of paper she'd just wasted she knew that she'd taken out a small tree, if not a shrub.

She felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

Bella was embarrassed that she was embarrassed, and nothing she thought of took the flame out of her cheeks.

Edward watched her in amusement; he had been drawn to her from the beginning because of her intriguing personality and standoffishness, but he couldn't deny that seeing her vulnerable brought out the role of protector in him. He was slowly getting to know her, and he felt that, if she let him, he could be someone special to her.

Their class passed by slowly, and when the bell finally rang Bella felt her shoulders lift in relief, "Thank god," she muttered, "This class was slowly sucking the life out of me."

Edward barked out a laugh that caught the attention of most of the remaining students, but Bella quickly pulled him along so that Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory didn't get any ideas.

Bella assured Edward that he didn't have to walk her to every class but Edward was hearing none of it, "I want to walk you, love," he'd said.

After they had said goodbye at the gymnasium doors, Bella had noticed that she'd garnered a little attention. Scratch that. A LOT of attention. Every single eye, including that of the teacher, was looking at her as she walked in. Not being one to feel self conscious, Bella walked with her head held high, determined to not pay them any mind.

As Bella sat down on the bleachers waiting for the coach take attendance and give out her instructions for today's activity, she felt someone sit beside her. Looking up, she caught the eye of one Michael Newton.

Inwardly, she cringed, "Hello Mike."

He smiled a wide smile, as if he wasn't expecting her to remember his name. "Hey Bella!"

Over the past month or so Mike had kept his distance, she figured it had been her snappy attitude and determination to curse at anyone who got in her way.

Mike shifted a little closer to her, a fact that was not lost on Bella, as he began to talk, "So how have you been, huh? I hear you and Cullen have gotten pretty close."

He was fishing for information and Bella did not like it, she hated the nosey nature of Mike's personality. It was not a redeeming quality and she wished for the adoring little puppy-dog act he had been fond of a month ago.

"Mike, I'm fine, so don't worry about me, and secondly I don't think that is any of your business."

She knew she had to cut her answer short. If she had kept talking, she would have most definitely make poor mike cry with her vulgar personality.

"Oh," she could tell he looked a little taken aback, but he hid it well, "Well I wanted to invite you to La Push beach this weekend, a bunch of us are going and you looked like you could use some fun."

Bella smiled, Mike's thoughtfulness was adorable, if not a little creepy, but definitely welcome. She wondered what was so special about La Push, and decided to voice her curiosity.

"Around this time of year the bluffs are pretty crazy, they have good waves and a few of us like to surf or just hang out."

The premise sounded promising, and Bella found herself being drawn in by the simple expedition to La Push. She found herself agreeing almost immediately.

"Yeah sure, I'll come." She was immediately reminded of the plan she had set up and had to ask, "Can I bring someone?"

Mike scowled. Bella tried to hide the hilarity she felt behind her hair.

"Sure," Mike forced out eventually, "But it's a really small get together, so you might not want to..."

"-Oh that's okay," Bella interrupted, "I won't be bringing just anyone." She winked at Mike and stood up as the teacher called out boys vs. girls dodge ball.

The class passed by in a hurry, Bella thought that maybe it had to do with the fact that the vigorous activity left little time for her inner thoughts, but she couldn't be sure. By the end of class she headed to the changing room like all of the other students and changed into her non-sweaty attire.

Like he had been all day, Edward was waiting for Bella outside when she exited. She was expecting it, but found great pleasure from the fact that Edward was waiting for her once more.

"Hey," she greeted and smiled shyly.

He grinned back and placed a tentative hand at the small of her back. Bella did not reject the small act of intimacy displayed.

As they walked Bella thought back to the conversation her had had with Mike. She had hoped to ask Edward as they had spent very little time together alone and away from school.

"Hey Edward?"

Edward looked down at her as they both made their way to the parking lot.

"Yeah?"

"Mike invited be and a bunch of other to hang out at the beach this weekend. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

He smirked but held her gaze and asked, "Which beach?"

She felt her brows crinkled in confusion, "Does it matter?"

Edward's smile turned into a tight lipped frown, "Yes," he muttered.

"La Push beach." She answered.

There was a slight change in Edward's expression. If Bella hadn't been looking at him so closely she would have missed it, but before she could question him about it, it was gone.

"What day did you say again?"

Bella looked at him and repeated the day slowly, as if she would if Edward was hard of hearing.

"Fri-day."

Edward rolled his eyes at her mocking tone and said, "I think I have plans on Friday, sorry."

Bella narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "And those plans forbid you from taking an afternoon to go to the beach?"

Edward was no longer smiling and when he replied that it did. Bella huffed in a very un-lady like way and turned on her heel towards her truck. Edward not deterred in the least followed and caught up with her before she could enter the cab.

"Bella," he called as she went to open her door.

She turned and gave him a peeved look.

He closed the distance between them and Bella could feel his closeness with every pore in her body. It seemed as if his proximity was causing her whole body to heat up and the tell-tale longing she felt for him flared. Edward leaned down to speak in her ear, "I do want to spend time with you."

Bella blinked slowly and fought the urge to shudder.

Edward made it to his car before she could even move and with unsteady limbs she climbed in her truck.

Bella shook herself and was brought back to the present when her truck firmly halted behind none other than Edward Cullen.

She scowled, but when she saw Tyler Crowley come up to her window and knock, she knew that something was up and she didn't like it one bit.

Sure enough, when Bella rolled down her window Tyler proceeded to talk little about the traffic obstruction and more about Forks High's upcoming school dance.

Bella was completely taken aback when he asked her to the dance. She didn't know what to say, and this completely stopped her from making up a lie on the spot.

Bella found herself sputtering in response and she couldn't help but glower at Edward's reflection in his rear-view mirror.

To her utter surprise she found Edward nearly in stitches at her predicament. He seemed to be laughing hard enough that his whole frame was shaking.

Bella narrowed her eyes and decided to teach Edward a little something about how she expected their relationship to work.

She turned back to Tyler who was waiting expectantly for her response. She smiled sweetly when she replied, "Oh sorry Tyler, but someone's already asked me, and I've said yes."

Tyler's face fell but he quickly recovered, stepping a little closer to her window, "Oh really, who?"

Bella cursed his damn curiosity, she had wanted to make Edward jealous of an invisible foe, but she had not predicted to whom she would have made her boy toy for this event.

"Oh, uh, you don't know him, he doesn't go to this school."

Tyler seemed worried by this fact, as if the competition was steep and he would have to redouble his efforts.

"Oh well maybe next time," he concluded, not giving Bella any room to reply that that would most definitely not be happening.

Horns were blaring and everyone seemed to be peeved that they were spending more time at school on a Monday than they absolutely had to.

Before Bella could pound on her horn as well, Edward stepped on the gas and speed off.

She could not help but smirk, because before the shiny silver Volvo sped out of sight she could clearly see Edward's furious face.

* * *

Bella's outfit inspiration on my website. LINK ON MY PROFILE!

REVIEW! COMMON PLEASE?


	16. Chapter 16

a/n To actually apologise for the enormous wait I made all of you suffer wouldn't be enough. I need to send you all gift certificates to the spa to make up for something like this, but since i'm a poor student... you'll have to settle for a virtual hug.

a/n A big thank you to a reader that down-right pleaded for a chapter. It didn't make me post any faster (sorry!) but it did make me sit down and write the chapter. I won't blame you if you want to throw burning torches at me for not posting it for several months though.

a/n That chapter is a little bit _wha? _If you do have any questions feel fee to ask me!

** I have previously written that John Putnam's mistress was Mary even though the movie says her name was Agnes. I have fixed this mistake and switched the names back to what they are supposed to be. Agnes is the mother of Hegan and Mary is the mother of Alex and Jane. Sorry for the confusion.**

* * *

Chapter 16 -The Witch Twins

_1604_

_~ A small town in England_

_Agnes screamed._

_Waves of agony crashed into her as she felt another contraction hit her._

_Her mother patted her brow with a damp cloth. She knew how painful a birth could be, and she was sorry that her only daughter had to go through it alone, and didn't have the help of her husband._

___Agnes_ screamed again, her contractions were very close together; her baby was coming.

___Agnes_ stared at her little pink baby as it blindly punched the air. Her mother cooed over the baby as she gently wrapped it in a warm blanket.

_She had given birth to Hegan Goodwin Pope._

_The gap between her son's birth and her husband's death was not lost on her, and she wished that there was another excuse she could use, but as she stared at the tiny baby she knew that what she believed was true._

_This was the bastard son of John Putnam._

_As little Hegan aged, it became more apparent. She was sure it was more than a trick of the light that displayed the glowing black eyes of her son, but she resisted, she wanted normalcy for her son. __There was always hope, hope that the rumours of John Putnam would not come true, hope that he would not be the one to father a witch son._

_Over the years that hope died. After Hegan's 18's birthday she knew why, he took after his father._

Bella woke to a soundless morning; it was Forks, and with the constant rain birds were scarce. The calm breeze removed the possibility of the trees scraping together, not even the light drip of the morning's dew could be detected.

As Bella rose, she felt a strong pull in the pit of her stomach, today felt like an off day.

Getting ready was a synch though, she managed to get dressed, make breakfast, wake up Chase (the smell of bacon did the trick) and pack all of her things with ten minutes to spare. If Bella had to think of a reason why she had gotten ready so quickly it would have been hard to admit that a certain someone had been on her mind.

As Bella's mind shifted over to thoughts of Edward, Chase started the car, it was common for Bella to simply zone out during car rides so Chase ignored the blank stare Bella had on.

First and second period passed quickly, Bella was sure that class with Alice was not at all as enjoyable as class with Edward, and by the smirk Alice wore every time Bella would fidget or look at the clock proved that she believed so as well.

Before Bella knew it the lunch bell had rung and students flew by trying to get to the cafeteria before her. Bella didn't worry about making a scene, Phase 2 of the plan was in order and all eyes were to be on Chase for the time being. As Bella passed her brother, engaged in an intense looking explanation of how to pump the clutch of a 70's Impala, he gave her a wink signifying that he was okay with what she was about to do.

Well if he was okay with it, she thought.

Sitting at a table to the left of all of his siblings was Edward and he didn't look happy. To be quite honest he looked a bit put out. The crease that normally only could be seen when he was upset or thinking about something lined his forehead, and the cap of an apple juice bottle spun like a top, round and around the table top tweaked occasionally by his long fingers.

Bella sat down uneasily, she knew what yesterday's events must have done to Edward, he over thought everything, but the look on his face was almost understanding, she couldn't make heads or tales of it.

As the chair scraped against the floor Edward seemed to come to life, his eyes focused on Bella's movements and he followed her with a sort of renowned interest that gave her the impression that his thoughts were running a million miles a minute.

"Edward," she greeted him rather coolly.

His eyes widened and then narrowed. If Bella were an unsuspecting human she might have been afraid, but Edward Cullen didn't scare her, especially since she knew she had a reason to be pissed.

"You're mad at me,' he stated like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Yes," she answered in the same tone.

"Why?" He asked in an almost pleading tone.

Bella sniffed, "you let Tyler corner me, _on purpose_."

Edward pursed his lips, "yes well you didn't seem to mind all that much."

Bella stared at him incredulously, "I _what?_"

"I'm sure you enjoyed telling him you were taking someone else, now he won't bother you anymore."

"And what makes you think that," Bella said through clenched teeth.

"I heard you." Edward rebutted quickly.

Bella raised an eyebrow and smirked, "you what?"

Edward looked away, " I mean was looking back in the rear-view mirror, I could read both of your lips."

Bella rolled her eyes, "Sure you could."

Edward's eyes snapped back to Bella's in an instant, anger and desperation swirling together in their depths. Bella looked away first, determined to keep the conversation going.

"So why aren't you sitting with the rest of your family?" Bella asked quickly.

Edward blinked and then his eyes darted slowly to the Cullen table and back, a small scowl darkened his face.

"No reason," he answered quickly.

Bella raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

Edward pushed the tray of food that was resting under him towards Bella, "eat," he ordered simply.

In her haste Bella had neglected to collect food for herself, but that didn't mean she was going to let Edward get away with purging all of his.

"What about you?" Bella asked him sincerely.

"I had a big breakfast." He answered simply.

Bella's eyes narrowed but she didn't say anything as she took a bite of her luke-warm pizza.

As Edward watched Bella eat he tried vigilantly to ignore the thoughts that were going through the minds of his siblings. Rosalie was thankfully disinterested in the whole situation, but not completely, even in her thoughts the distain she had for Bella were apparent. Alice as well as Emmett were trying to figure out ways to invite Bella over to their house. They separately wanted to get to know her, and perhaps even befriend her. If their thoughts weren't so intrusive then Edward would have smiled to himself. Jasper was absent from the table.

Suddenly, the bell rang. As Bella looked around she noticed that most of the cafeteria had cleared out. As Bella scrambled to gather her things she noticed that Edward was standing to the side holding most of them for her, she couldn't help the blush that stained her cheeks and ducked her head cursing herself quietly for actually blushing.

Bella started to walk only to realise that Edward was not following. "Uh, aren't you coming?" She asked unintelligently.

"It's healthy to skip every once in a while," he responded, putting her books in her hands.

"Alright then," she said as she turned toward the Biology lab. Bella found it strange that the best student that she'd ever met was skipping while she was actually going to class.

But as Bella stepped in the Biology lab she began to question her motives for staying. Not even Mike Newton's puppy-dog stare could shake her from the absolute terror she felt from today's in-class assignment.

Mr. Banner had pulled out a series of Bunsen-burners for what he was explaining was an experiment to see how long it would take water to cycle through its three forms; solid to liquid to gas.

Ice cubes were waiting for them to the side of the class and they were being instructed on what to do next. As Mr. Banner squeezed the flint in his hand over the Bunsen-burner a blue flame appeared as straight as a candle.

Bella felt her face drain of any remaining blood. The memories came to her at once, but what was worse was the feeling, the utter terror, the acceptance of death.

"Bella!"

"_Bella!"_

Bella blinked rapidly and stared into the eyes of the world's biggest puppy-dog.

"Are you alright?" He asked kindly.

Bella wanted to shake her head 'no' but she was afraid she was going to be sick.

All around the classroom student's were squeezing their flints to light their fires'.

_Oh god! _She thought, as she started to shake.

Mike began a frantic shaking-like motion with his hands that was meant to snap Bella back to the present, but all she could think about was the claustrophobic feeling of being stuck in a barn while lit.

Slowly, the attention of the entire class turned towards Bella, who was staring wide-eyed at the teacher's open flame. Fear ran across her face and before she could stop it, she swayed. Mike made a quick thinking move to stop her from falling and asked the teacher if he could be the one to take her to the nurse, as Bella's pale face and waxy complexion made her look slightly ill.

"_CHASE?"_

_The raw wood, burning and charring, had caused such an undisturbed noise, such a remarkably dense sound that it seemed the ambient red and orange was consuming her voice along with the free oxygen that fuelled this fire._

"_Chase?" She tried again._

_She wondered if it would be as impossible to be heard as it was to be seen._

_Surely it was as impossible; the flames from the barn licked the sides of the building like and overzealous child coveting a precious fruit._

"Chase."

"Bella come on let's go," Mike urged, trying to physically move Bella out of the class room.

People were starting to stare, the class had shifted their attention completely to Bella and Mike, who was trying fruitlessly to half lift, half pull her along.

Bella's heart-rate accelerated, and without the threat of danger needed, took on the necessary fight or flight mentality. Five seconds passed as she un-bolted her feet from the floor and shook Mike off of her. It took another three seconds to break out into a run.

She could hear Mike following relentlessly but all she could think about was getting to Chase, she had to see Chase.

Bella rounded a corner and ran straight into a very hard and very defined chest. She wanted to flee, but strong hands gripped her arms and prevented her from moving away. "Bella?"

Bella looked up into dark topaz coloured eyes. Edward Cullen stared back at her with a mix of confusion and fear. He had noticed that Bella carried herself in a way that led you to believe that she was a strong willed person, someone you didn't mess with without being crossed yourself. So when he saw her so close to tears fighting to get out of his arms his mind automatically went to the worst. Had something happened to her? Had someone done this to her? He was at a loss at to what would make the mighty Bella Swan crumble.

He was at a loss that is until Mike Newton came running down the hallway after her.

In his hundred plus years Edward had worked tremendously hard at trying to control his temper, yet as a vampire that task was exceedingly difficult, the rise in intensity of his feelings and emotions made calming himself an almost impossible task. However with Carlisle's guidance over his long life, schooling his passionate emotions had become easier. Anger, hate and jealousy however were in another world of their own.

As Mike skidded to a stop before them, Edward tried very hard not to interpret the guilty look on Mike's face to be misconstrued as guilt for harming Bella, but it was difficult.

"Edward," he heard Bella say.

Edward's face immediately softened as he looked down at her. Bella glanced at his hands that were still gripping her arms, albeit a little too tightly.

Edward's grip loosened immediately.

Mike chose that moment to speak up, "Bella you should really go to the nurse."

His voice was slightly pleading, and if Edward didn't have the ability to read minds then he would have come across as sincere.

Edward grimaced at the thoughts running through Mike's mind. Sure, he was concerned for Bella, but more so about who would be accompanying her to the big La Push bonfire that afternoon.

Bella edged around Edward and took a step away from the both of them. "I'm fine. I need to find Chase."

Edward noticed the desperation in her voice and the slight upbeat to her heart rate as she explained her need for her brother. He knew that to help her he would have to break a few rules.

Edward turned to Mike, "thanks for your help but I'll make sure Bella's is alright from here."

Mike looked at though he would challenge Edward but then stepped back unconsciously, "I was supposed to take her," he tried again feebly.

"That's alright I've got her," Edward said and turning towards Bella, effectively dismissing Mike.

Mike scowled and stomped off, but not before calling Edward an ass-hole in his mind.

Edward turned to Bella, she was turning in every direction trying in vain to, what Edward guessed was, to locate Chase.

"Bella?" Edward asked gently.

Bella's eyes snapped to his and narrowed. He could have sworn he saw them darken to black, but he quickly dismissed it, not willing to let his head get in the way of helping Bella.

"Edward if you know what's good for you you will help me find my brother!" Spoken by Bella at any other time Edward would have been afraid but now Edward could sense the desperation and fear behind them.

"He's through here," Edward said leading Bella through a series of hallways. Edward followed Chase's scent towards the parking lot, he briefly wondered what Chase was doing out there before dismissing it, he was in fact skipping himself.

When Bella saw Chase she ran to him and entangled himself in his arms. Edward wasn't sure what to do, for the moment had just become increasingly awkward for him, looking at Chase, Edward saw him give a nod meant as thanks. Incredibly confused Edward nodded back and made his way to his car for the remainder of Biology.

Sometime later Edward was startled by the opening and closing of his passenger door, he'd thought at first that he'd lost himself in his music for too long and school was indeed over, but when Bella sat down next to him he readjusted his thoughts to conclude that it hadn't been that long at all.

"Thank you," she said as she sat down.

Edward smiled a half smile, "your welcome."

Bella sighed and leaned back in her seat, "this falls into the category of 'things I'd really like to tell you about but can't."

Edward didn't say anything. He wondered what a young teenage girl like Bella could possibly have to hide.

_Hegan Pope stood beside his wife and she screamed in agony._

_As his mother had warned him, she progressively screamed louder and louder until his mother told him it was time to leave the room._

_He had not argued._

_6:53 pm_

_A wail filled the room as his wife Mary gave one final push and delivered her first child into the world._

"_It's a boy," her mother-in-law declared. Hagan's mother was a touchy one, but had helped her prepare for the baby in ways that she could never give enough thanks enough for._

"Alexander Goodwin_," __Mary_ huffed out as the old woman cut the cord and went to clean the baby up a bit.

_She nodded and smiled, but frowned when she saw the pained look on __Mary_ 's face. "What is the matter dear? Do you feel faint?"

"_I think, I -argh" __Mary_ screamed as she felt another wave of contractions hit her mid section.

"_My dear, I do believe you are blessed with twins." The old woman said in alarm._

___'Mary, why do you look so worried?" she asked her mother-in-law, Agnes._

___The woman eyed her stomach but didn't respond._

___Mary_ felt slightly light headed with the news, but smiled. As her stomach had rounded she had come to love the small baby that she knew was growing inside of her. He/she was hers, but to have both, that was more than any blessing she had received so far.

_7:23 pm_

_"Jane_ _Jonah," __Mary_ coked out, fighting the lethargy that came with childbirth. She chugged out a breath as she watched her mother-in-law tend to her two young children.

_As she watched, she recounted the conversation she and Hegan had had about twins being born of the covenant. He had made it seem like there were none, but here two feet from here was living proof that it was possible, that two could be born and not just one._

"_You got what you wanted," Agnes remarked, __looking at her with a piercing gaze that seemed to penetrate her very skin._

___Mary_ stared in her eyes and responded uneasily, "Y-yes, I did."

"_Then you'll die happily." She said with a smile._

_There was nothing sinister about her smile, but the words she had just uttered were odd for someone of her age, __Mary_ knew that Hegan's mother had been troubled for some time, but this was a side of her she had never seen.

_"I will tell you something and I will not repeat it so listen carefully, only one child was supposed to be born today." The words were spoken quickly and held great caution but Agnes had trouble keeping up._

_"Your children will be in danger, I'm sure of it. You must separate them, immediately."_

___Mary_ sputtered and tried to convince the woman otherwise, but she was as stubborn as any soldier.

_The woman knew she had to act quickly, so when __Mary_ had fallen asleep, she went out to Hegan to tell him the news.

_"Hegan, your son is healthy and plump, would you like to see him?"_

_Hegan nodded quickly and filed into the room._

_He looked at his sleeping wife and smiled, there in her arms was his first and only child, his son._

Edward finally moved from his position, "you don't have to say anything you don't want to."

Bella considered his words.

There was silence between the two of them as they both looked out of the window.

"There was a fire."

Edward didn't move, but his attention shifted completely to Bella. Her proximity to him in the small car had his animalistic side on alert, but her words captured his attention elsewhere.

"Back home we didn't really get along with the kids there and my brother made some enemies. It got out of hand, Chase doesn't like being provoked and, well people got hurt."

She sounded bitter about it all, and Edward could tell by the way she paused that she was leaving things out.

"Despite everything Chase is still my brother and he's all I have."

Edward found her revelation to be tragic, and his dead heart thawed a little for the captivating girl in his front seat.

Bella shook herself a little, and looked to Edward, "So do you still have plans for tonight?"

Edward had to think before he answered, the way she asked the question made him think that he had already given an answer.

"Yes I do."

Bella eyed him for a while, then smiled. "Well I'll see you on Monday." Bella said awkwardly before getting out of the car, not waiting to hear Edward's answer.

Bella cursed herself as she walked back to Chase's car. How had she managed to spill all of her past to Edward Cullen in no time at all? Chase was going to be mad that she had neglected the plan.

Bella had asked Chase to drive as a way to occupy her mind for the hour it took to get to La Push. The day had been a difficult one, and she wasn't sure if she was up to socializing for the rest of the night, but, in the end Bella decided a night at the beach would be a much better way to spend her time than a night home alone.

Bella's mind wandered to the events of the past day. Her mind as well as her senses had been trapped by the events of the last few months and she had been powerless to it. One thing that she knew was that what-ever she had experienced had proved to incapacitate her in a way that she had not expected. If worst came to worst and their enemies came looking for them, the flicker of a flame would help ensure her demise.

The turn to first Beach came and went before Bella realised her mistake. "Shit!" She exclaimed before making a U-turn.

Chase turned to his sister and eyed her with concern, "Are you alright?"

Bella sighed and made the turn.

"I will be." She said as she turned into First Beach.

The bonfire was warm, and the bodies that flocked to its side were amazed by the different colours that could be produced by the salt- ridden drift wood. Bella supposed that after a week of school everyone simply wanted some time to relax and hang out, but she couldn't seem to make her mind co-operate.

It was sometime after midnight when Bella stumbled into bed. La Push had been tiring and after the days' events Bella was more than ready to head in for bed.

It took exactly twelve minutes before Bella fell asleep.

Her dreams were strange and vague, and the shapes were not, for the first time, of burning hay and charred ash.

_He looked away as the town folk passed him sympathetic looks of condolence. Their looks meant nothing to him, they didn't know anything about him and yet they thought that their looks of sympathy offered him any peace at all. They didn't._

_From an early age he knew that this was bound to happen, his father had wasted The Power selfishly. Using constantly, wasting bits of his life each time. Now it was too late, The Power had had consumed all it could. And there was nothing left._

_He was alone now, his mother had died as his father had begun using more and more and soon his father had perished as well. The fool had kept on using even after his body had had enough._

_The only person he could look to now was an elderly grandmother, who herself needed help to care for the needs that came with old age._

_He walked out of his old family home and turned towards the pasture, there was little he could do on his own, his mother was dead, his father had selfishly died with her, and now he was alone with this curse._

_He sat at an old swing his father had made for him as a child. The swing was old, but he had used the power to repair it over time._

_Yet another example of a waste of life._

_He heard the footsteps of another approaching him and tensed, he did not want company right now._

_"Son," he turned to look at the elderly priest who enforced Christ's word for the whole village. His face was a poorly masked view of pity, condolence and sadness._

_He was tired of seeing those looks on every face he saw. He wished he could simply wipe the emotion from them, leave them with nothing but themselves and watch as they stood, sensation-less._

_"You're grandmother invites you to come home with her now, she says to tell you she has a surprise for you."_

_The man walked away, and he slowly followed._

_As he walked he thought about how everything, in such a short time, had changed. His mother, his father, everyone he cared for, lest his grandmother, was dead. No uncles, no aunts, no one but an elderly old lady that never cared for him._

_He spotted her on the landing, hunched over with age, and staring at him as if he were a disappointment. To her he was. He knew very little of her, for sh__e rarely visited, and he knew that even now that would change. He would remain alone._

_The walk to her house was surprisingly short, or maybe it was his drifting mind that carried him away from the journey._

_"We are here." She said as they approached an elderly-looking house. This was his home now._

_They're were two floors, the one he was on and the basement, or cellar as his grandmother called it._

_As he put some things he had taken with him around the room, the old lady walked in._

_"After supper there is someone I would like for you to meet." __He cringed, he hoped his grandmother had not made any 'friends' he knew she didn't follow societies ways, but a male friends at her age was frowned upon._

_Stories told to him by his parents described his grandmother's strange life. Ever since his grandfather Jacob had died his grandmother had been slightly disturbed. He noticed that while she loved his father she had always kept her distance._

_What was odder was the she seemed to fear him even more as he aged._

_Dinner was a quiet affair. He was used to her quiet ramblings and the shuffle of her slippered feet across the floor._

_"And now for you to meet our guest." He raised his head to look at her. She had a quiet smile on her face as she watched him, and he couldn't help the shudder._

_He turned as he heard footsteps approaching the room they were in._

_"Alec, meet your sister Jane."_

_Nothing could have prepared him for this._

At the Cullen residence eleven miles north of Forks, Edward Cullen decided to do a little research. As he opened his laptop, Alice Cullen walked in the room. "What are you doing?" She asked as she sat beside him.

"What's Ipswich?" She asked as he typed it into the computer's browser.

'"Bella's home town." He answered and clicked on the enter button.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N So it has come to my attention that some of the flashbacks might be a little confusing in terms historical/ past events. I figure this should clear everything up.

Single sentences that are in Italics are usually thoughts, mainly Bella's.

Full paragraphs in Italics, centered on the page are FLASHBACKS they have already happened and are placed in the middle of the story to provide background information. Please do't be confused between flashbacks and the present, they do not happen at the same time.

* * *

Chapter 17- The Sons of Ipswich

Bella awoke with a start.

The feeling she had was eerie, as if she were remembering a long lost memory instead of dreaming. Bella shook her head back and forth, there was no way that the dream could have been a memory, she knew none of the characters. However the feeling she had did not go away, if anything as she sat there in the dark, it grew stronger.

Bell a climbed out of bed, letting the feeling overcome and guide her. It was almost as if it were leading her somewhere, with a specific purpose, though she had no idea what. She stopped inches from her bothers door, hesitant. It felt as though what she needed was to talk to Chase, but she didn't know if it were really necessary to tell him of her bad dreams.

_But was it a dream?_

Resigned, Bella knocked twice before entering. She knew better than to try and sneak up in Chase, the last time she had ended up on her back in a pile of glass. Chase didn't like being snuck up on.

Chase rolled over in bed turning to look at Bella as she stood by the door. He looked over at the clock, 4:37 glared back at him.

"Bella what is it?" Chase asked. He knew that Bella wouldn't come and see him in the middle of the night for just anything.

Bella hesitated, the feeling hadn't completely left her, but she was unsure of what exactly she should do. Finally, after a half second of deliberation, she moved.

"I had a bad dream," She said, wincing slightly at how juvenile it sounded.

She sighed and moved toward the bed in which Chase was sitting up in, "It felt more like a memory...but that isn't possible since I know it hasn't happened to me," she looked up, "or you."

Chase wiped a hand down his face and blinked, he was still half asleep and had a hard time processing what Bella had just said, it took a second but he finally responded.

"What do you mean a memory?"

Bella shrugged, "I don't even know, it's just a feeling, like it's something important. Something we should know."

"What was the dream about?" He asked hesitantly, Chase didn't fake ignorance to Bella's reoccurring nightmares, he herd her yelling every time they happened.

Bella began recounting what she could remember of the dream, while Chase listened. When she was done, she sat back and looked at him, measuring his reaction.

"This is where the book of Damnation would really come in handy," Chase said with a hint of malice.

Bella sighed, "Chase, I let you handle it the first time, and look at what a mess it created. Maybe we should just let it go."

Bella looked away with her confession. She hadn't planned on voicing her opinion this way at all, and now that things were all out in the open it was a bit uncomfortable.

"Is that how you really feel?" Chase asked after a pause.

"Yes." Bella finally admitted.

"And when did this change of heart take place?" he asked.

Bella looked at the fleece that covered the bed.

"We have everything we need here, there's no need to ruin that just to get revenge on some self-obsessed _boys_."

"Is that so?" Chase asked with no hint of amusement.

Bella looked up and glared at Chase, "Yes. We have enough problems without worrying about them. Yes, they have it all, and yes they left us with nothing but is it really their fault?"

"Is it really their fault?" Chase repeated. "They left us in the dark for _centuries _Isabella. Centuries without knowing what this was, generations of us were left wasting away, because we couldn't control it."

"And I know how much that bothers you, but will it really help if we fight them, what will that accomplish despite earning bloodshed."

Chase shook his head but didn't answer, it was too early to start arguing with his sister at this point, and they had more pressing matters of concern.

Bella watched as Chase tried to calm himself, she knew that they had different outlooks concerning the Sons of Ipswich but she knew that now wasn't really the time to discuss it.

Chase looked up at Bella, "So you say you have this dream, about Alec, and...Jane was it? This seems like a memory to you, and it's important because you have a feeling about it?"

Bella rolled her eyes at the condescending nature of Chase's tone but otherwise ignored him.

"How do we find out about the brother and sister from the dream without the book of damnation?"

"I don't know," Chase answered honestly.

"You don't know." Bella echoed.

Chase turned to Bella, "What do you want to do, really?"

Bella stated at her brother dumbfounded for the first time. It was something he had never really asked her before and she wasn't sure how to asnwer it.

"I don't know what I want." She answered finally.

Chase looked at her, "Well when you do know, let me know, but until then I'm going to go back to sleep."

Bella took that to mean she was dismissed, so she stood up and went back to her room thinking about the dream and what she really wanted.

As Edward Cullen drove his siblings to school he thought about what he had discovered about Isabella Swan. Or more accurately what he had discovered about her brother.

Articles. More than a half-dozen of them. All detailing a mysterious accident that left several acres of farmland destroyed and an rustic old barn incinerated.

Among other news this was almost nothing of consequence, but the name Chase Collins seemed to pop up the more he looked into it. A new student shows up at the same time as one dies. The same new student disappears in a barn fire.

Edward didn't know what to make of it. Alice couldn't see anything concerning both Chase and Bella, and she hadn't seen anything about them before they came either.

The accident, if you can even call it that, hadn't harmed anyone (except for Chase's disappearance), but it had destroyed a barn that was more than centuries old, belonging to the ancestors of an ancient coven of brothers.

At first, Edward didn't know what to think, it had to be a very big coincidence that Bella and Chase had nothing to do with the series of events that were splayed across the newspapers, and the odds were unmistakable but how could it be that they were involved?

If Bella and Chase had anything to do with the fire, then they surely were the cause of it.

Edward pulled into his usual parking spot and all of his adopted siblings quickly got out of the car, all except Alice.

"What are you thinking?" She asked.

Edward smirked, "Funny, isn't that my line?"

Alice cracked a smile, "Everything is getting fuzzy, so I can tell Bella is here."

Edward's smirk disappeared and he resumed his pensive state.

Alice sighed, "I don't know her very well but I know if you beat around the bush it will piss her off."

Edward sighed, "Yes but if I ask her straight away she might freeze up and not tell me anything at all."

Alice gave him a sympathetic look, "No one said it would be easy."

"It is certainly turning out that way isn't it."

Alice nodded and stepped out of the car, going to meet up with her mate, Jasper.

Begrudgingly Edward got out of his car, he desperately wanted to know the truth, whether or not the newspaper articles revealed it or not.

He spotted Bella immediately, his eyes locking in on her waiting for him by her car.

It was a habit that they had started the week before, Bella refused to have him pick her up (something about her being a capable woman not needing him to drive her anywhere) so they started a system of sorts, the first to school would wait for the other.

As he walked up to her Bella looked up and smiled, but Edward could tell that she was distracted, her eyes were far away and they had creases underneath them, indicating that she hadn't been sleeping well.

Edward reached out a hand and smoothed out the creases beneath her eyes.

He smirked, "Hello, Bella."

Bella blinked and tried to focus. "Edward," she breathed.

They were taking it slow, and couldn't really call themselves a couple, but as they walked into the school with Edward's arm around her shoulders everyone stared at them as if they were one.

Edward walked Bella to her class. He placed his hand and her cheek, as if to stroke it, but Bella pulled away, giving him a strange look. If Edward had any blood in his system that was his own, it would have made itself apparent in his cheeks and neck, for the embarrassment her felt flooded his senses. He meant to walk away at the rejection, but instead Bella pulled him down by his neck and kissed him. It was an innocent kiss, just a quick peck, but fire exploded everywhere around him as he felt her warm lips touch his cold ones. The fire spread from his lips down his throat, causing it to erupt into flames, but it did not stop there. It felt as if all of his extremities were waking up from a century-long slumber.

Bella winked and walked away, but she could still see Edward standing shock still where she'd planted one on him.

The rest of the day passed without much incident. Bella noticed that Alice kept looking at Edward in a strange way, as if she were waiting for him to do something but said nothing of it, it was none of her business anyways.

At Lunch Bella sat with Edward and his siblings, an unusual occurrence. Edward's siblings were all nice, with exception to Rosalie, but she much preferred having Edward to himself. The bronze haired one in question was glaring at his sister Alice with irritation, but the little sprite was just grinning back at him nodding her head forward as if encouraging a frightened child into a new school.

There was an uneven silence that filled the air, and Bella was unsure if she should fill it. Unexpectedly, Rosalie decided to take the job.

"So Bella, since none of us really know anything about you, tell us why you decided to come to Forks."

Bella was caught off guard, as it looked like the rest of the table was. As unexpected as the question was, it was also an unwelcome one.

Edward was glaring at his sister. "Rose," he growled.

Bella shivered at his tone, she was not afraid, quite the opposite.

"What? What do you really know about her other than her name Edward?"

Edward was annoyed by the question, but could not deny the fact that besides the small details of herself that she'd shared with him during their time together during the last few weeks, he really didn't know Bella at all.

Bella saw the indecision on Edward's face and decided her course of action.

"It's alright," Bella assured Edward. "I'm sure you're all curious why someone would willingly come to Forks."

The table grew quiet, there was no denying the fact that they all wanted to know about the mysterious Bella Swan, and if she was willing they weren't about to stop her from sharing.

"I have a complicated past. I told Edward that there were some things that happened back home, things that made it difficult to stay after they happened..."

"So what happened?' Emmett asked.

Bella looked at him sadly.

"My mother died...Well, she wasn't really my mother, just the woman who gave birth to me."

"I'm sorry." Edward said, the rest nodded respectfully.

"It's alright. I didn't really know her, and she died before I could."

"That's too bad. How did she die?"

"She killed herself."

FLASHBACK

_It was the second time she had received a note similar to this in the mail. Being the first to arrive home, Bella was usually the one to get the mail from the mailbox that stood outside her house, but now she wished that she had not gone to do the deed at all._

_It was a note, with the same script as before, that revealed only one thing:_

_We have to meet._

Bella was so caught up in her own little narrative that she didn't notice the looks of anticipation on everyone else's face.

"...why did that affect you moving?" Rosalie asked after a while.

Emmett nudged her and she turned to frown and him but didn't say anything else.

"Renee and I weren't very close and I didn't really know her. Other than the fact that she was depressed and lonely, she didn't share anything else about herself. I didn't even know even know that my mother wasn't really my mother until Renee showed up."

There was bitterness in Bella's tone that even she couldn't hide. The Cullen's had no trouble detecting it, and Jasper looked away, overwhelmed for a second by Bella's emotions, but she continued.

"My parents...they didn't really understand why I grew so attached to her and Chase. I guess they felt like I already had a stable home, why would I want anything else, from someone who never even wanted me no less... On top of other things, living with the Swans became too difficult after a while."

Edward desperately wanted to know what 'other things' Bella was talking about but knew that now was not the time to discuss it.

"So after her funeral Chase and I moved in together, I wanted to get to know my brother."

"And so how did you end up in Forks?" Alice asked timidly, she wanted to know the answer, but the whole conversation was incredibly taboo, and she didn't want Bella to be uncomfortable. She wouldn't ask if Bella didn't appear completely at ease with the topic, which she did.

Though Alice immediately wanted to take her question back. Bella's eyes grew sombre and all light heartedness left her when she heard the question.

"There was an accident." Bella finally said.

She didn't elaborate, and no one asked her to. Even Rosalie remained silent and looked almost apologetic when she saw the look on Bella's face.

It was a good few minutes until Bella snapped out of her mood. Jasper had been unwillingly rebounding the feeling of despair and the whole table had moved to their own thoughts.

"Anyways Chase and I found this little town on our GPS and thought it would be the perfect little place to stop."

Edward raised his eyebrow, and Rosalie snorted. They knew better than to say anything, but at that moment each Cullen was wondering why Bella had just lied.

The bell rang and they mood of the table instantly lifted. The tense and stifled feeling vanished as Jasper, Alice and Emmett said goodbye to her and left. Rosalie rose without a word and Edward stood and helped her to her feet.

"You didn't need to share all of that. Your past is your business, Rosalie had no right –"

"Edward, I said it was okay, didn't I? Trust me."

Bella smiled and kissed him on the cheek and walked away, but Edward couldn't help but feel that there was something he was missing.

The rest of the day was spent avoiding the Cullen's Bella wasn't the best actor, but pretending that everything was fine after discussing her mother had been difficult. She had never really allowed herself to think of her since the move, and with everything else going on there was hardly any time to, but discussing her over lunch seemed to taint her memory, as though she had meant nothing to Bella, when it truth she had meant alot more.

Ever since Bella had discovered she was adopted, she had wanted to know why, why her biological parents had felt the need to give her up, to abandon her. She had begged her parents to allow her to see her mother Renee and when they finally relented she spent a good three hours in front of the mirror wondering what she would think, whether or not she would look like her, if they would share personality traits, and if she would be even happy to meet her. They were all nervous emotions though, as Bella was twelve and had not yet taken the first few steps into woman hood.

What her mother had to tell her though was not what she had been expecting.

The new feelings of love and childhood were thrust aside for more dangerous things. Words like covenant, powers and addiction changed in meaning that day.

Several weeks later, still confused and missing her new relationship with her biological mother, Bella received her first period.

And with it, the endless thirst for more. More power, more answers, and more possibilities.

It was several years later that she actually saw her mother again. Her new powers were difficult to manage, but helpful tips and tricks Renee had given her to avoid using came to be tremendously handy, and by the time Chase tracked her down and introduced himself, she had mastered the ability to be 'normal'.

Renee Dwyer had died six months later, before either Bella or Chase could meet up with her again.

The real fighting began not long after that.

Bella had moved out of her parents house to get away from the pain she saw on their faces every time she'd even mention either Chase or Renee. After they had moved in together Chase had wanted to know more about their history, and she had told him everything she knew from Renee. But she could not reveal everything, not once had Renee mentioned who their father was, in fact, Renee did well to avoid the topic all together.

Chase had found their father eventually, and with him additional powers and a vengeance to take all he could from the '_Sons of Ipswich' _their century old brethren that had left their family without knowledge and alone without the covenant to protect them.

Bella had never felt it in herself to be bitter, and didn't harbour any personal feelings of contempt for Caleb, Pogue, Tyler and Reed, but Chase took their father's animosity as his own, and even without yet ascending took them on with the belief that their fathers given power, as well as his own would be enough.

It had been foolish and they had both paid for it, but Bella could say for the first time that Chase was on his way to letting it go.

Bella was startled out of her reverie by Jessica, a real chatterbox of a girl who had taken it upon herself to befriend Bella and her brother no matter how many times either of them gave her the cold shoulder.

"Bella! So like prom is coming up you know, and I don't know if you and Edward are going, cause everyone is talking about how you two make such a cute couple and everything and for a while there I thought that maybe you and Chase had a thing but then Mr. Varner said something about you two being related and that would be just ew, you know, like total incest. So anyway what do you think about coming along with me and the girls tomorrow so we can go dress shopping, you don't really know until you try it on, you know, like it can be totally hideous if you don't . I remember last year when Travis Som asked me to the prom I just bought the first thing I found, didn't even really try on anything else because I was so excited, but of course I am even more excited for my own prom. Oh my god, did I tell you that Mike asked me, yeah he asked me to go with-"

"JESSICA!" Bella stopped her.

Jessica looked startled and looked at Bella who was staring at her in disbelief. _How could one talk so much?_ Bella wondered.

"Fine I'll go with you, but limit the gossiping okay?"

Jessica nodded enthusiastically and said goodbye, hurrying to meet up with Mike.

Bella sighed before meeting up with Chase, tomorrow would be a day she wouldn't forget that was for sure.

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REC time!

**BRONZE by mothlights**

This is a story that I can't wait to read when it shows up in my Inbox. It throws a wrench in the machine so-to-speak as an AU story. Edward is a new born and Bella is a centuries (cough, millenia) old vampire. Carlisle cannot put up with moody-brooding Edward for much longer and asks Bella to take him in and get him in line. There are twists in this story that make it the 'stay up and read' type. Both on Twilighted and FF rated NC-17 for gore.

**Dream like you'll live forever by Lozz5159** **/ Like a moth to the flame by CitezenCullen25**

Both of these stories have major Mobward going on. I can't help but rec the pair of them though. The first, I feel is more 'real' in terms of mob-life but the second is a happy representation of the glamour or 'hollywood' type of mob life. Both are not really as accurate in terms of mob-life, but if you're looking for HEA go for LAMTAF if your looking for angst and an Edward who just can't make up his mind go for DLYLF (and OMG that makes the worst acronym)

*Note LAMTAF can be only found on citezencullen's blog, its no longer on FF.

***If you're looking for a some-what accurate portrayal of the realities of Mob life google Emancipation Proclamation by kharizzmatik which is very long but very good! **

**These three stories are rated M, if you are too young to vote then do not read them please.**

**Hit by destiny by OCDness **

This story is better than good. It is awesome. It begins with AH Bella and Edward. Edward is popular and somewhat of a womanizer and Bella is not. She is bullied and hated by her peers and is even resented by her family. Read to find out how one event turns the tide and changes everything the two thought they new about one another. *Not for those who are sensitive about suicide.

**A rough start ~ or anything really. If it's written by ItzMegan73 its gonna be good.**

A rough start follows Edward, who is in his mid twenties, as he discovers he is a father. Stuck in a dead-end job in Forks he and his son find a way to make it. E/B well written and realistic. If you read all of ItzMegan's stories you'll find a trend.

**More than words by Hannah81**

Both on Twilighted and FF this story looks to be on the way towards a HEA. Edward is a wealthy heir and millionaire and Bella is from a middle class family with average income. Edward soon discovers that the only way to access his inheritance is to wait for his thirtieth birthday, or until her gets married... Rated M.

**Zenith by Majesta Moniet**

This story is also found at but can be found on FF too. This is for those who love a good B/J story. Edward's gone in New Moon and Bella finds comfort in none other than Jacob, but with a twist. This story takes the one line S Meyer wrote about witches literally.

**Sibling Rivalry by GreatEscape**

This can be found on Twilighted. This is full of angst and includes a love triangle that doesn't include Jacob. It follows Bella though a different path towards metting the Cullens, if you love the Denali coven you're in for a real treat! Rated NC-17 and completed.

This story is really good, and I recommend you read the GreatEscape's other stories as well.


	18. Chapter 18 Part 1

a/n Check out the poll on my profile. Vote I want to see what you guys think.

a/n This is a two parter. This chapter will be of Chase's POV, the next Bella's.

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Chapter 18- Port Angeles

The day was turning out to be a good one. Chase had gotten up early to work on an old scrap car that he had found abandoned on the outskirts of town. The process was slow, but he was slowly making his way towards restoring it, and every day that Bella didn't complain that it was just taking up space in their garage was a good day to him. The girl in question had taken a trip to Port Angeles, the local town, to go dress shopping. Chase found it hilarious when Bella told him she would be going with the local gossip girl and her cronies. Everyone knew that Jessica was only good for a story of questionable origin and what he couldn't understand was how Bella had found herself wrapped up in it all, for she wasn't one to dote on the likes of Jessica Stanley.

It was for the best, he assumed, because he now had the house to himself, and didn't have to worry about anything other than the cold shell of this old American beauty underneath his fingers.

The new plan was in order. Bella and Edward were getting closer, and as much as Chase hated to admit it, were as close to a couple as they could get. Chase tried hard not to think about it, but sometimes he hated the fact that he was using his sister in this way. Bella was all for it, but he wondered if they didn't need the Cullen's so much if she would actually like someone like Edward. He believed her feelings to be sincere, but then again, he couldn't be one hundred percent sure.

Other than that issue, things were going well. They were almost to the point where they could rely on the Cullen's if they needed, and that was the whole point of this whole plan. The Cullen's weren't human, and since there were more of them than there were of him this was a necessary course of action. He very much doubted that the Cullen's' would let themselves be bullied and coerced into action like the sons of Ipswich had, but in the end, all they could hope for was their help.

Chase spent hours on the car, taking apart what he could, and starting to restore the rest. He didn't look at the time until he heard the grumble of his stomach, which was followed an even louder gurgle. Looking at the time, it was well into the afternoon and Bella had been gone for hours. Chase did not know whether the fatherly concern he felt was misplaced, but he called anyway, getting her voicemail.

He hung up and went to get something to eat before he passed out.

It was dark. Chase had gone back to working on the car, but had quit sometime before dinner. He had called Bella twice more on her cell phone but had had no response. It wasn't in him to be worried, but they had never been separated like this before, and with the type of freedom they had gained after leaving their home town there hadn't had a reason to be. But today was a different story, and Bella had been M.I.A. for hours now. It was a strange feeling he'd been ignoring for a while now, but as Chase moved out of the kitchen he finally recognized that something was off, and the feeling was located somewhere around his diaphragm and stomach. The curious sensation he knew was related somehow to Bella as it was the only thing that had been continually on his mind today. He moved away from the garage, and with a single step back he felt a great weight settle on him, almost like a tug. It was strange and foreign, and somehow warm, but contradictorily not in a soothing way. He could not accurately describe it but the feeling had been growing for some time now. At first he thought he was severely hungry, and the stomach pains had caused him to experience deliriousness of an odd sort, but as he moved into the house the feeling grew stronger, almost making him fall over. It was the oddest sensation, but it felt as if he was somehow going the wrong way.

In an instant he knew something was wrong and tried Bella's cell again, but to no avail. Chase cursed himself for not knowing the numbers of those two girls she had gone out with, what were their names, Jessica and...Angie? He couldn't remember and all he knew was that one was so quiet he'd never heard her speak before and the other couldn't shut up no matter how many times he brushed her off.

Chase banged his head on the kitchen cabinet.

It was now after 6pm.

Chase pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, it was hard to differentiate which numbers were from Forks girls and which weren't but eventually he came to a possible hit.

_Lauren Mallory_ _(great ass, nice tits)_

He remembered putting that description into his phone. Lauren, he recalled was one of the few girls of Forks High that put out right away. Being new and all didn't deter her from getting down to business so to speak, and if he had to label it he would call her a slut. Girls like Lauren weren't necessarily out to get laid, but for the ability to say they did. He'd seen it often enough, popular guy moves in and popular girl stakes her claim. Classic.

He pressed send; he hoped that Lauren would at least point him in the right direction.

"Hello?"

"Hey, babe." Chase fought a grimace, he didn't particularly like Lauren, and she was a real bitch to Bella, which pissed him off. Bella was nice to anyone when she was in the mood for it, and Lauren wasn't even close enough to her to warrant a reason for such malice.

"Oh hey Chase baby," she cooed. Chase cringed, now that he remembered her, he remembered how much he hated the sound of her voice.

"Hey Lauren, I have to ask you a favour. Do you happen to be out with my sister at the moment?"

He hated to ask her in case she wasn't, but he didn't know what else to do.

He heard an angry huff and winced, looks like he was out of luck.

"I thought you wanted to ask me out again Chase, not ask me about your bitchy sister."

Chase ground his teeth; he hated girls who were demanding, especially when he wasn't even dating them.

"Look Lauren, I need to talk to her and she isn't answering her phone. Do you know where I can find her or not?"

Lauren sighed, if he could see her, he'd be frustrated with the way she was absentmindedly pulling lint from her sweater, but he couldn't, so he waited while she took her sweet ass time.

"Well, I did hear Jessica Stanley talk about going shopping, she asked me but I already have a dress, I don't like being unprepared. Speaking of which, is there anything you want to ask me Chase?"

Chase growled, he wanted nothing more that to slam her head against a wall, but then he knew she'd be less inclined to help him.

"Lauren," he asked, lowering his voice so that it sounded like a 20th century movie star, "I didn't plan to ask you over the phone," he met silence so he continued, "I wanted it to be in person and...romantic."

"Oh," she said excitedly, no doubt she was about to speed dial all of her friends, "Okay. Bella's probably with Jessica and Angela, they said they wanted to go dress shopping. When did you want to ask me?"

Chase sighed; he knew it wasn't going to be that easy. The girl was smart, he could give her that much.

"I'll ask you when the time is right, so don't say yes to anyone else."

She giggled and Chase laughed silently, he couldn't believe she was falling for this crap.

"Oh okay...Just don't wait too long or I won't be able to make any promises."

He refrained from bursting out laughing. Her attempt to be assertive was highly comedic. He remembered why he was calling and sighed, he really did have to drag it out of her.

"Lauren, my sister?"

She huffed, as if he were really putting her out. "I guess I can give you Jessica's cell number, if that's the only reason you're calling her," she added suspiciously.

"Yes that's the only reason. What's the number?" He asked quickly, he was getting frustrated again

Lauren relayed it in a sing-song voice and told him to call her soon before he hung up.

Chase looked at the clock, 6:20. He shook his head as he dialled the number Lauren had given him, and sat down on a dining room chair, he couldn't believe he had wasted so much time talking to when his sister was in trouble.

He dialled the number and was nervous that she wouldn't pick up when he heard the nasally voice of Jessica Stanley.

"Hello?"

"Jessica? It's Chase Collins. Hi, I'm looking for my sister, her phone is off and I wanted to check on her."  
He felt bad about ploughing right through, but he didn't like the unsettling feeling he was getting and he would feel a whole lot better about everything if he could simply talk to her.

"Oh hi Chase, um Bella isn't with me right now. She went to get something from some bookstore she said she was dying to go to. Angela and I were just waiting for her to get back." She paused and Chase's heart sank. "She's running a little late. I don't think it should have taken this long.." Chase didn't think he was supposed to hear the last part, but he was in his car and driving towards Port Angeles before Jessica had finished talking.

He didn't know what was going on, but the feeling he was getting wasn't a good one. And for the first time since he and Bella had been reunited, he was afraid for her.

It took him 45 minutes to drive to Port Angeles. He had broken the speeding limit practically the whole time and had been driving and had been very lucky to not have been pulled over.

When he reached the old movie theatre that was popular amongst the residents of both Forks and Port Angeles he parked. He knew that he would have to reach Bella on foot.

As Chase parked and got out of the car, he let the feeling that had been guiding him all night take over. He didn't know if it was a twin thing, or it was a side product of The Power, but Chase could feel Bella, her individual essence, and could also feel the distress that came with it. Whether it was emotional distress or physical, he could not be sure, but as he made his way toward where he felt she was the urgency propelled his steps to come faster, and it wasn't long before he was in a full on sprint towards Bella.

He ran past the bookstore he was sure she'd passed, the dream catchers and crystals catching in the light for a brief second before he passed them, running down the streets in a southward direction. He sped towards what looked like the wrong end of town and briefly wondered why Bella would wander down this way, it was clearly deserted. Warehouses surrounded him, and he began to look frantically left and right, looking for any indication of his sister.

He was close and he knew it. He could feel it but he could not _see _her. Chase looked round and saw a shadow moving round a corner off a far building when he heard a man call.

"There you are!"

He felt his heart sink, and then plummet when screams filled the night.

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a/n Depending on how many reviews I get I might be inclined to update faster. ;)

Thoughts are appreciated!

And to **bakerusaf** whose review raises a good point.

_Gawd the Cullens are such hippocrites, walking around like they deserve_  
_answers to whatever they want, yet they sure aren't offering anything_

Bella and Chase aren't going to let them get away with everything, and the only reason they are sugar coating it now is to gain their approval and trust. As for Edward and Alice, they are incredibly curious about both Chase and Bella, as are most of the Cullens, but they do not see their secret as something to tell, simply because of how much is riding on keeping _the _secret. This will of course come up in future chapters, but as the Cullens are being unfair its best to point out those double standards! Thank you for the review:D


	19. Chapter 18 Part 2

a/n The poll results are quite amusing I must say, some of you seem to think that Chase and Bella have not gotten over their animosity for the Sons of Ipswich while others believe that they are out to annihilate the whole vampire race. Very interesting.

I will be revealing the answer shortly. I'm sure the outcome will surprise you.

**Special thanks to my beta lanacullen21 who deserves much more credit for her hard work!**

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Chapter 18 Part 2 -**Port Angeles**

**Bella**

As Bella walked out of the house and into the light downpour she knew, as if the weather was any indication, that today wasn't going to be a very good day.

The reality was that she had agreed to an afternoon out with Jessica Stanley, for a reason that now didn't seem to hold any foundation. She wasn't going to go to the dance, so the only help she could offer the two was to give them suggestions on what they should wear for the occasion.

As she stepped into the old white Chevy pickup she gave a brief hello to Jess and the other occupant of the car, a shy girl she had noticed in her first few weeks of school. They had become acquainted, but barely knew each other. Angela Weber was the town's good girl; she wasn't stuck up like some of the other girls at Forks High, and wasn't in a rush to earn her approval, unlike Jessica, in fact Angela Weber seemed to observe from neutral eyes accepting, yet cautious. She was glad that Lauren had indeed been left out of this little outing, she, for some reason did not approve of Bella one bit and wasn't afraid to let her know either. Since Bella was in for enough horror as it was, she made sure Jessica left Lauren out.

As Jessica began the drive towards Port Angeles, Bella came to know more about both girls. Angela was a friend of Jessica's but seemed to have little in common with her. They shared interests in boys and shopping it seemed, and Bella guessed that was enough.

The majority of the drive was spent with Jessica telling stories about her life, Bella tuned out most of it, but Jessica 'managed' to let slip to both Bella and Angela that, Mike (who was _so great) _was treating her to a limo for prom.

Bella breathed a sigh of relief when they reached Port Angeles. They had stopped at the diner and when they arrived it was nearly four, leaving only a few hours to shop.

It was only after six when Bella had had enough.

Shopping with Jessica was a nightmare. She and Angela had a passion when it came to looking at dresses, and after the fifth shop, Bella had lost any motivation. She looked up at their happy faces; she had been looking for an out for a while now, but it hadn't come so she nudged Jessica to get her attention.

"Hey guys, um there was this...book I wanted to get."

Both Angela and Jessica looked at her strangely before looking at each other and shrugging.

"Uh, sure do you want us to go with you?"

"No! Uh no, thanks. I'll just meet you guys at the restaurant okay?"

She wanted to get out of there bad, but hoped that she wasn't that transparent. She smiled at them and they both nodded so she took off, heading in the opposite direction. Bella did not want to look for a book, but rather a strong drink seeing as the evening had been absolute torture.

It wasn't as though she didn't like spending time with either of them. Angela was nice and so was Jessica once she calmed down some, but the squealing and fawning over prom dresses was getting old, and she needed a bit of liquid courage if she had any hope of making it through the night.

Bella walked away from the little dress shop on the corner and headed down a short path before veering south, hoping that the bars in Port Angeles were sketchy enough to serve alcohol without asking for I.D. She didn't look that young, but still it'd be better to not have to worry about it.

There were few people on the street, but as it was getting late it was to be expected. Bella kept south and kept an eye out for the signs of a local bar.

Bella passed the end of the small strip and came to a stand-alone bookstore. The old woman in the store front smiled at her, and tired to encourage her inside. Bella shook her hand in negative, and walked past, she liked to read, but now all she could focus on was the dull ache in the back of her mind, fuelled by the colour pink. She continued on, but met no signs that any type of bar existed. In the distance she spotted simple glass fronted shops that were emptying of the end-of-the- workday traffic but as she came closer she soon realized that it was a simple repair shop.

Bella huffed in frustration, she turned the corner in hopes that it would lead somewhere promising but as the quiet warehouses gleamed in the darkness she slowly came to the realization that she was headed in the wrong direction. Her frustration grew and she let out an impatient sigh, today just wasn't going as planned was it?

Bella decided to keep going, she was bound to reach something soon and then she could ask someone if there were any bars in this part of town. As Bella rounded another corner heading towards the industrial side of town, she saw four grimy shadows in the distance, all looking her way.

The thin wispy clouds of smoke that came from the smoke stacks atop the buildings darkened the alleyway she was in. Bella didn't need a sign to know that anybody in this part of town was up to no good, and she was neither in the mood nor had the patience for any of it. She started to make her way back the way she came but the eerie feeling that she was being followed trailed her.

It was slight, and resembled the feeling of being watched, but every way she moved the feeling followed. She exited the narrow alleyway and entered the dim street. Streetlamps were not yet lit, but the sun had set and the shrinking light left an eerie feeling with her. Bella turned and tried to try and shake the feeling she felt with her and quickly dashed east hoping that she was moving towards town. Bella moved at a quick pace and looked over her shoulder in paranoia she saw nothing unusual but couldn't shake the feeling she found followed her as she traveled uptown.

Bella continued, making quick turns but slowed when she heard the smack of heavy footsteps behind her. She was shocked and tried to quickly dash into an old alleyway but the sound pursued. Finally stopping, Bella saw two looming shadows following behind her. She sped up, but stopped short when she saw two figures up ahead seemingly waiting for her in the distance. She then heard the heavy footsteps of her pursuers that followed behind her; they walked quickly and edged closer to the industrial alleyway.

There they were.

The men that she thought she'd lost when she'd taken the shortcut through the alley hadn't been lost and she wasn't alone.

"There you are!" The booming voice of a large man sounded behind her. He was close which was unexpected, but what was more frightful was that when Bella turned the man wasn't even looking at her.

"Shit, yeah!" Another voice called loudly to the side of her. Bella turned and tried to hurry down the street to get away from the batch of drunken men but they blocked her path.

"Stay away from me, "she warned. She did not know what they wanted, but they were seriously close to being in trouble.

"Don't be like that, sugar," called one of them, followed by raucous laughter.

Bella narrowed her eyes at the term. She now knew what they wanted, and she didn't like it one bit.

"I don't want to have to say it again, you have on last chance, leave now and no one gets hurt." She was completely serious and did not want to have to hurt any of them. The approach to the age of ascending was close now, less a month away, and she did not want to get into the habit of using, least of all for these pricks.

They all laughed, and the large one approached her. Taking her by surprise by his agility, Bella didn't expect his large hands when they grabbed her around her waist and pulled her to his body.

Bella saw red. No one put their hands on her without her permission. "I warned you."

She closed her eyes. In a brief second she felt The Power course through her and overwhelm her senses. She could feel it, like liquid lightning demanding action, looking for a way out.

She let it.

Grabbing the hand of the man whose arms were around her, she squeezed, hard.

He screamed, but she didn't stop, The Power was coursing through her, and for the first time in a long time, she enjoyed the feeling.

She threw him against the alley wall, and he crumpled, immediately upsetting the other men in the alley. If they were friends of his, they didn't show it. They tried to scatter, but they could not run, not when Bella could feel the world at her fingertips.

She picked them each up with The Power and let them dance in the air like marionettes without strings; they struggled and screamed in fright as their heavily inebriated thought process stalled any other efforts of escape.

Bella laughed as the one closest to her tried to twist himself into a more favourable position and threw him into the air higher, before letting him plummet to the ground with all of gravities graces. There was a loud thud and the man lay still, but Bella was too busy with the other two men to notice.

They too were struggling mid air, and as Bella watched she had a striking and sudden feeling that she resembled the character Carrie in the old teen horror movie. Indeed, her actions were slightly sinful in nature and Bella sighed as she realised that she had let The Powers influence catch hold of her.

The men were still screaming and she quickly crashed them into one another to stop their cries. It worked, and they both crumpled to a heap on the ground, silent.

Bella surveyed the scene before her; the man that had collided with the wall was unconscious, but alive. The other that had fallen from a several story height may not have been but it was hard to tell. One of his legs was at an odd angle, but before Bella could feel remorse in her actions, she remembered that he had been the one to the unwanted fondling. The two other men were lying together in a heap on the littered ground, seemingly unconscious.

Just then Bella heard the slap of footsteps coming her way, she could not hide. The narrow alleyway held no escape. The unconscious men behind her were highly incriminating, so she stood her ground and waited for whoever was coming to meet their fate.

She turned to see her brother Chase round the corner and she felt all of the air left in her lungs leave with a heavy exhale.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in exasperation.

He looked past her at the unconscious bodies in the alleyways as he answered, "I don't know, something felt off."

He voice was detached, cold, and Bella caught it as soon as he said the words, but she couldn't understand why he was giving her such a cold shoulder.

She decided to voice her thoughts, "what's with the attitude?"

Chase's eyes snapped to hers in disbelief, "Are you serious?" he asked, "You really don't see why I'm pissed at you?"

Bella squared her shoulders and faced her brother and answered truthfully, "No, I know it looks bad but I don't understand why you of all people would be angry."

Chase ground his teeth together at the insinuation but let it drop, telling her that they would talk about it later.

Bella nodded and the two moved to clean up Bella's mess.

After the men had been disposed of (carefully tossed in dumpsters with their wallets and shoes taken- to help with the insinuation that they had been mugged) Bella and Chase exited the alley.

They walked down the street with Chase leading the way to his car.

"So are you going to explain what that was about back there?"

Chase was silent, and Bella was about to repeat the question when he answered.

"I'm the bad one."

It was a quiet admission and Bella was about to question whether she'd heard him correctly when he elaborated.

"I'm the bad one, you're the good one. That's how it's always been. I've let myself get carried away sometimes, let The Power get a hold of me, but not you, never once. I've always figured you were afraid of it. What I just saw, it wasn't you. "

There was a pause before he said, "You've got to swear you'll stop using Bella."

Bella stared at Chase as he gave his little rant. It was rare for her brother to express such complex emotions so she recognised it for what it really was; love. His love for her was touching, and one hundred percent sincere. It was true that she'd never come to use as much as she had tonight and had never hurt anyone in the process, but she was still at war with herself. The innocent little girl that Chase described was present, as she'd once been her, but battling to be set free was the other side the side that held The Power. The wolf in sheep's clothing that wanted more; craved it.

She didn't know how to answer, she couldn't promise because she'd surly use within the next day or so, but what Chase was asking was not for small displays, but the opposite.

"I'll try Chase."

It was all she could promise for now.

Chase was not satisfied with her answer but let it drop, they continued the rest of the way to the car and got in once they had reached it. The drive was short, as they only needed to drive a short way to the small Italian restaurant on the corner.

Bella spotted Jessica's white pickup parked outside and was relieved that they were still there.

"You can just drop me off, I see Jessica's still here." She said to Chase.

Chase didn't comment, but simply parked beside the white pickup.

There was an awkward silence before Bella got out of the car, she was about to close the door but poked her head in when she saw Chase's stony expression. "We'll talk later?"

Chase responded with a tense nod and drove away as she closed the door.

'Glad you're okay sis.' She muttered aloud in a sarcastic Chase like impersonation.

She had only taken three steps towards the restaurant when a figure leaning against a shiny silver car to her left spoke up.

"I'm glad you're alright as well."

She stopped, startled, and looked into the shadowed face. All of a sudden she felt as if the air had been stripped from the night. The street noises dimmed and the cold bit at her fingertips as a breeze blew past. The moon was released by several clouds and shone a little brighter to illuminate Edward Cullen's face.

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a/n Okay so based on the review count I think I'll try leaving cliffy's at the end of every chapter to inspire you guys to press that rectangular button.

It's right there, standing alone waiting to be pressed.

You know you want to...


	20. Chapter 19

a/n Soorry this chapter took so long, there were so many things that just kept coming up. Once I finished this chapter I had no time to edit it. :(

Bummer. But here it is, very long for me and very detailed, hope you like it!

a/n Poll answer will be revealed in the next chapter.

a/n By the way, since asterisks (*) don't seem to work in FF text anymore page dividers will now separate different periods of time.

a/n Special thanks goes to my beta lanacullen21

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Chapter 19- Cordial Invitation

Edward Cullen had reached a new low.

It wasn't enough that he'd watched Bella Swan sleep every now and then, but lately he'd taken to following her around as well.

He wasn't sure what the act did for him, but he knew that if he was away from her for a prolonged period of time then he began to feel her separation in ways that made him ache.

He now knew from comparison, that riddling out Bella Swan was best done in conversation. His midnight viewings offered little more than the unconscious ramblings that were hard to figure out, but from the first time he had managed a conversation with the brown-eyed beauty he was sure that she was the most interesting and troublesome human he'd met in a very long time.

He wasn't sure what to make of her, she was hiding something, that was for sure, but with all of the time they'd spent together he was no closer to guessing what that something was. Bella was very good at avoiding and twisting conversation so that she ended up revealing very little about herself, and as it was Edward's impatience grew with every day that he didn't know what she was hiding.

It was unfair since he knew he held his own secret, but Bella was someone he just couldn't wait to figure out.

Once his family had discovered his night time activities they had teased him relentlessly, but he knew they could see the appeal. They too wanted to know why and how Bella and her brother Chase could be immune to his gift. It was rare that anyone would be exempted from his gift, so rare in fact that it had never happened before. Edward wasn't sure what to make of it, he wanted in her head, yet he wasn't sure it he was really ready for her thoughts. Something told Edward that what she was thinking wasn't something he wanted to hear.

At the moment he drove carefully about a mile behind the large white pickup that Bella had entered with Jessica Stanley and Angela Weber.

He drove slowly, and stopped occasionally when he felt he was getting too close. The small amount of traffic traveling out of Forks made it difficult to remain hidden from Bella, but not impossible. Before he had left he had been sure to ask Alice what the weather would be like and was lucky that the forecast called for showers with cloudy skies. Alice had warned him he had to be careful, and that there were no guarantees with the weather, but he had been too excited to care. As he followed them, he kept hold of their thoughts, as well as the images in Jessica's mind about the scenery. He'd already knew where they were heading after overhearing the conversation between Jessica and Bella the other day, but to follow them today made him understandably nervous. This was taking his stalking habit to a new level.

He kept his speed slow, which was almost torturous, but he managed it with one thought of what Bella's face would look like if she caught him following her. He grimaced, he would rather deal with an irate Rosalie.

Edward arrived at Port Angeles half an hour later than they would have if he had driven at his regular speed.

He quickly drove past their car, shifting slightly in hopes he wouldn't be seen, and parked much farther away than was necessary. Edward wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be spotted if they were to take a detour around a corner.

He was about to get out of the car to follow when his cell phone rang. He wanted to ignore it, but the threat of a troublesome vision from Alice was too great, and he reluctantly pulled the cell phone to his ear and pressed send.

"Hello?"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING EDWARD?

He was mildly shocked to hear that it was Rosalie calling and not Alice, and held the phone away from his ear, wondering what his blonde sibling had done to the little pixie in order to be calling him first.

"Rose..."

He let out a silent breath and rested his head against his hand. He didn't want to be berated from Rosalie right at this moment but he knew that whatever Alice had told her had caused her protective nature to emerge. He wished that she hadn't had called but was flattered that she cared about him so much.

"DON'T 'ROSE' ME EDWARD. THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND HOW BADLY THIS COULD END FOR ALL OF US? ISN'T IT ENOUGH THAT YOU CAN'T SEEM TO HEAR HER THOUGHTS, BUT NOW YOU WANT TO BUDDY UP AND BE HER _FRIEND!_?"

Then again everything Rosalie did reflected on herself. Edward smiled to himself but sobered once he processed her words. Was he being selfish? He would never willingly put his family in danger, but something in her told him he could trust Bella.

Edward covered the phone slightly, he didn't have time for this, Bella and her friends were getting away and he wanted to make sure she was alright. With the feeling of nervousness coursing through him he started to worry. He looked around while listening to Rosalie rant and tried to catch a stray thought from Jessica or Angela. He couldn't catch anything with Rosalie yelling in his ear.

Frustrated he tried to get rid of her.

"Rosalie, it isn't like that. I-"

"OHH, PLEASE DON'T TELL ME THAT YOU WANT A FUTURE WITH HER. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO, SNACK ON HER LIKE A POPSICLE WHEN YOU MAKE OUT?"

Completely frustrated and somewhat angry that she was assuming things about him while belittling his relationship with Bella he raised his voice.

"ROSALIE! I am aware of our nature, thank you. Don't you think I would have fought harder if I could have avoided this? I am not going to justify this to you over the phone. I just..."

There was a silence where Edward was at a loss for words, he did not know how to explain that having Bella near now felt somewhat normal, and despite his prologued solitude, expected.

"Wow, Edward you haven't thought this through at all have you? What are you doing? If you leave her alone now we can still stay..."

Edward had had enough; he wasn't used to justifying his actions to anyone, even Carlisle.

"Rosalie, I'm not talking about this now, goodbye."

He pressed end on the cell phone, then threw it into the dashboard so hard that the delicate device broke apart.

He didn't know what to do. Yes, he had considered what it would all mean if he and Bella did move towards a more than friendly relationship, but he seemed powerless to stop it. Watching her sleep at night had moved his obsession with her farther along than he liked to admit, and now he was following her wherever she went. He did see Rosalie's point, but at the same time her words were hypocritical, she had done the same with her own human, but had been lucky enough not to have to deal with his mortality for as long. Now that the shoe was on the other foot, Rosalie seemed to be up in arms with distress. It was true that she and reason to be, but Edward dismissed it, trying in vain to ignore the small warning his brain was shooting at him.

Frustrated, yet completely anxious he left the car, and walked around for a time, following Jessica and Angela's thoughts surrounding Bella Swan.

* * *

Bella stared up into the face of her unexpected visitor, suddenly frightened. She had felt the throes of sheer invincibility only a half hour ago but now she felt fear; she did not understand her emotions one bit.

Balanced at the edge of an unknown van Bella crept closer. "Edward," she breathed. "What are you doing here?"

She looked at him as she asked the question. It was a valid one after all, he had not been a part of the shopping spree and she wondered how he knew where she was or how to find her.

Edward and Bella stared at each other with almost mirrored emotions. The darkness of the night clouded both of their features, but looking at Bella Edward was incapable of describing his fascination and fear, but yet he felt them both.

Bella waited for an answer, but it seemed that she wasn't going to receive one.

There was an awkward silence before Edward spoke, "Do you want to get something to eat?'

She was not expecting a question like that, so she stared at him for a moment before her brain snapped back to the moment and led her towards answering.

"Uh, sure."

They both stared at each other for a second longer before Edward pushed himself off the edge of his car and walked around to the passenger side door where he opened it, motioning towards the seat. Bella hesitated only for a second before taking the seat.

Before she knew it Edward was seated beside her and they were off, riding for a short time before arriving at their destination. Edward parked under a dim street lamp and exited without a word. Bella noticed he was around to her side in am unusual amount of time before he helped her out of the car. Bella stared at the hand Edward had offered but ignored it and got out of the car herself. Edward pressed a button which initiated the lock stepping away from the car and leading the way to an outlet of restaurants and shops.

In an uncomfortable silence they both walked up to the restaurant, and Bella looked up, suddenly noticing her shopping mates Jessica and Angela walking out of the restaurant they were headed to with matching expressions of shock on their faces. Bella felt her nerves return and struggled to to come up with a cover story that would explain her hour and a half long absence. She had greeted them with a cautious wave when Edward came up with the brilliant excuse of needing to feed her after getting lost. They both nodded and accepted his story before leaving, shooting Bella nervous glances while ogling Edward. Edward smiled at Bella before opening the door again for her. Bella was unused to this type of chivalry but didn't say anything, she was too relieved at the moment for her usual sass.

Entering the warm and inviting atmosphere of the restaurant erased some of the tension between them, though even still Edward stood awkwardly beside her, as if remembering why they were there. While they waited for the hostess, Bella looked around, the sign that dressed the inside of the restaurant was labeled La Bella Italia, as it was an Italian restaurant with local dishes.

They waited for a short time before being attended to by an extremely friendly hostess who had no problem flirting openly with Edward while Bella watched. He seemed chagrined, both flattered yet extremely uncomfortable. Bella decided to move things along and asked to be seated, much to the hostess's annoyance. The hostess complied began leading them to a secluded area in the restaurant, thankfully away from the small amount of patrons that had chosen to visit for their evening meal. As they approached the table, Bella noticed that the dark wooden tables of La Bella Italia gave the restaurant the serious atmosphere needed for an evening meal, but the singular rose in the small vase on the table added a generic but romantic touch.

Bella suddenly grew nervous, and looked everywhere but at Edward. Looking at him would be equal to acknowledging the fact that they weren't on a date but were un-expectantly out together, and after what had happened there was no way they weren't going to talk about very uncomfortable things. Bella stood awkwardly for a second, not noticing when Edward chivalrously pulled out her chair. After she was seated, Edward walked around to his side of the table, looking the part of the debonair boyfriend. Bella shook her head to focus her thoughts, _no that wouldn't happen_,_ especially after tonight._

A waitress appeared then and asked them of their order. Bella chose the mushroom ravioli, the first thing on the menu, and Edward looked a little panicked before stating that he wasn't hungry.

Bella stared at him completely chagrined, "you asked me to dinner and you don't eat?"

Edward looked away uncomfortable, "I was actually hoping for a quiet place to talk."

Bella crossed her arms and sat back into her chair, completely silent. _I'm not ready for this, she thought._Bella didn't know what exactly he had seen, and wasn't about to reveal anything.

Edward looked across the table and saw, despite the low lighting, the steel in her expression, he softened his and decided to try again.

"Bella you're different. What you did..."

He didn't finish his sentence and Bella shifted, uncomfortable. Based on the few words he had uttered and his current loss of words, Bella was inclined to believe that Edward had seen what she'd done. It was a sobering thought, one that she wasn't sure she was ready to explain. It was all happening rather fast, and even after all of their planning, and all of their attempts to join the Cullen ranks, she had never anticipated revealing her secret in this way.

Edward continued after a short pause, oblivious to Bella's inner turmoil, "Bella Swan, you're not like other girls. Your smart, and not to insult the other females at Forks High, but you seem to be one step ahead of me," he laughed looking up at her and continued, "you're also extremely sarcastic and somewhat closed off to others which I've had the hardest time breaking you out of. But aside from all of that, you, Bella Swan are an anomaly."

Bella stared at him with wide eyes, she had not noticed that she'd let someone so far past her inner walls that they'd come to know her, understand her. And yet, here with this beautiful man telling her about herself in a completely un-objectified way she grew sad. He would never truly understand her, believe in her, because she knew without a doubt when the pieces fell into place for him, he would leave.

And she and Chase would have to begin again.

Edward saw that the details of his character study had caused Bella anguish and reached out towards her face, carefully tilting it upwards.

"Bella you can trust me, you know."

It was quiet, and Bella looked so far away at the moment that he thought that she hadn't heard. He was about to repeat himself when she mumbled, "This is more complicated than I'd planned."

Edward crinkled his brow at her quiet admission and wondered what she meant.

The waitress came to them then with a basket of bread rolls and Bella's drink. She once again asked Edward if there was anything he wanted before telling them that Bella's meal would be along shortly. Bella shook her head again and straightened up slightly, impatient but ready to ask Edward something he was truly not prepared for.

"What are you doing in Port Angeles?"

He stared at her blankly for several seconds before creating a smooth lie.

"I was out shopping for a necklace for Alice's birthday."

It was true, despite her amnesia surrounding her human life, the day Alice had assigned as her birth date was fast approaching. Though despite this, he had not been in the town for that reason. Bella was watching and was fast to call a foul. Now that Edward knew of her secret, she was not going to play ignorance to his.

"That's a lie if I ever heard one. One: there is only one jewellery shop in town and it's nowhere near Alice's taste, and Two: Alice only wears your families crest around her neck ."

Bella finished with two fingers extended as she had listed off the two reasons why she knew Edward was lying. That and with the short time she had known him, she had learned his tell.*

The unwavering expression might have fooled some, but Bella knew Edward only used it when he was trying to convince others he was telling the truth. Over the past couple of months Bella had noticed several things about Edward, and how and when he lied had been at the top of the list. She looked at him across the table and decided that if they were going to get anywhere tonight then she might as well inform him that his powers of persuasion weren't as amazing as he thought.

"And Three: I've noticed that when you lie you don't blink, you always stare straight at the person and try to ease them with your words. Now, that would work if you told white lies the same way, but if it is a smaller lie then it comes out more easily yet you still add eye contact and the no-hesitation thing. Contrasted to if you are absolutely telling the truth, there is no pause or hesitation with your answer and it is usually followed by an that easy half smile."

Edward couldn't help the gaping expression he now sported. The three facts Bella had used were true, but she had stated her reasons so confidently, so sure that she was correct, that he felt no matter the excuse he used she would shut him down.

Bella simply smiled at the expression on Edwards face. She squared her shoulders and dove in.

"Look I'm not sure what you saw, but I think it's time to start being honest with one another."

Bella finished her sentence and continued to look at him with an unwavering expression. She knew it was a big risk to open up and tell him everything, after all she wasn't sure what he had seen (it could have been nothing) and after he knew there were no guarantees that everything would work out.

The waitress then arrived with her food and Bella began to eat. She was slightly nervous because Edward had yet to respond, yet she was determined to wait him out. She lightly ate her dish while watching him with steel in her eyes, and soon after Edward sighed and looked away.

He wasn't sure what Bella was asking, as far as he knew, she was as in the dark about his secret as the rest of Forks High was, yet, with the way she was looking at him, he had reason to believe otherwise.

Bella continued to stare, and Edward realised that he would have to speak first.

"I'm not sure what you mean; I've been quite honest with you."

Bella sighed quietly; she knew he was lying again because of the unyielding expression he wore, but yet she was not inclined to let the issue drop as she usually did. No, she knew that if they were to reach any sort of conclusion she would have to initiate it.

"Oh really? Say, are you sure you don't have an appetite for food tonight? This ravioli is really good, unless you're a vegetarian or something..."

Bella was smiling, but Edward had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The thoughts firing in his mind were of rapid succession and he couldn't help the hysteric tone they came in. _What did she mean? How much had she noticed? Was that a joke? Did she have any clue what she had stumbled upon at all?_

He felt as if where ever they were, he and Bella were about to overcome some sort of obstacle. It was a startling feeling, and made Edward feel foolish. Rosalie had been right; he hadn't thought any of this through at all. He had been so consumed with getting to know Bella that he hadn't even considered the possibility that his relationship with her could become serious enough that his secret would be open to discovery.

The realisation caused utter silence from Edward as he considered for the first time what this could mean.

Bella watched his reaction to her statement. She was slightly concerned with his silence, and wondered if he was going to be difficult with her.

"Let's say, hypothetically, there was a man, let's call him Jack. Jack seemed to be beyond the realm of possibilities. Fast, strong, and good. What would Jack say to that?"

Edward blinked at Bella's not-so-subtle inquiry about his abilities. She was sipping her coke with an innocent expression, however he wasn't sure was she was getting, so he decided to play along in the hopes of finding out.

"Well, hypothetically, Jack would probably say that he's just a normal boy. And whoever is sensationalising him is looking for something in the ordinary."

Bella narrowed her eyes at his response. Sensationalising him? Please. She pushed away her finished meal and leaned into the table a little.

"Well maybe Jill sees Jack in a way that other's miss. Maybe Jill knows something other's don't."

The small smirk that was on Edward's face vanished and he was suddenly tense, fearful that this conversation had taken a dangerous turn. Again he was angry with himself for allowing something that was bound to get him and his family in trouble.

He didn't know where the impulsive tone of his curiosity had come from. He was used to understanding the way people worked. Their thoughts usually revealed some of the traits of their personality; even small mundane thoughts would help Edward determine what kind of person he was dealing with. Yet, Bella (and her brother Chase for that matter) confounded him. He was in the dark when it came to their thoughts and as frustrating as that was it was nothing compared to the absolute fear he felt knowing that he had let someone get _too _close. Suddenly Rose's words from earlier made him feel abashed, he did not want to put his family and Bella's lives in danger and that was exactly what he was doing.

Again, Bella noticed his silence, but knew if they were to get anywhere she would have to take the reins.

"What did you see?"

There was a pause because again, Edward was taken aback. The switch between was he was hiding and what Bella was hiding was giving him whiplash.

"Uh, sorry?"

Bella rolled her eyes at his less than eloquent response, he knew what she was getting at, but she decided to help him along.

"I know you were lying about why you came here today, now I'll ask you again, what did you see?"

It was Edward's turn to narrow his eyes. He hadn't been honest with Bella about what he had seen, but at the same time he wasn't sure he wanted it explained. What he'd heard, and _seen_ was impossible.

He shook his head, about to lie in order to further the conversation, when Bella beat him to it.

"Don't think about lying again Edward. It's time you tell me the truth."

Edward was once again afraid of how close he had gotten to Bella, for she seemed to know more about him than she had previously let on. He did not know what to do, he couldn't tell her about himself or his siblings and he had a feeling that the farther he pried into her life the more she would try to get him to reveal about his. The feeling of being stuck between a rock and a hard place had never been truer than at that moment.

He instantly regretted smashing his phone earlier, for it meant that he did not have Alice's opinion on what he should or shouldn't say.

He looked into Bella's eyes and he could see her defiance and unwillingness to change the subject and made his decision.

"Bella I don't know what I saw, I ..."

He was at a loss for words, which caused irritation for Bella.

"Edward," she said in exasperation, "you do know, just tell me what you saw!"

Edward grew angry with her insensitivity.

"Fine." He said, finished completely with trying to put things lightly. "I saw what you did to those men, I don't know how you did it but I saw them attack you and your retaliation."

Bella sucked in a breath. She knew what he had likely seen, but knowing it was very different from hearing it.

She sighed and plunked her head on the table.

It was time.

She looked up at Edward and revealed what was to be the first step to revealing her secret.

"Edward, I'm not who you think I am."

Edward stated at her in confusion before switching his attention to their waitress who was staring at him from across the restaurant. It appeared that she was looking at them to determine if she should ask for the check or desert but a close examination of her thoughts showed that she was actually wondering what Edward was doing with someone like Bella. She had been listening to their conversation, hoping in vain that they were fighting while planning to slip her number to Edward when he paid the bill. Edward's face twisted in annoyance and displeasure, there was no way they could finish their conversation here. He looked back at Bella and tried not to listen to their waitresses thoughts, true, with her leather jacket and dark makeup on they did look oddly matched, but if he'd learned anything while befriending Bella was that you couldn't judge a book by its cover.

He stood up and threw a couple of bills on the table, "Why don't we move to a more private setting?"

Bella crinkled her brow in confusion while Edward moved to help her out of her seat.

"I can get it, jeez I have two legs. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I need help with everything."

Bella had gotten her sass back. Edward smiled and backed away slowly, enjoying the show.

The waitress hurried over, but Edward quietly dissuaded any flirting and told her to keep the change.

Bella stared at him, completely confused with his reaction. She knew that he had been at whit's end trying to figure out her and Chase's secret and now that he was presented with an opportunity he was stalling. Bella didn't understand, and she decided to voice her thoughts.

"Why are you stalling?" She asked as they exited the restaurant, the crisp evening air slapping her drowsy mind.

Edward walked calmly beside her, weary of where the conversation was headed.

"I have-"

"Save it Edward." Bella said and stopped walking. "Jeez, you're hard to crack. I know you can't say anything but that doesn't mean we don't still have to talk, and really talk, no bullshit."

Edward stopped beside her, listening to her rant while slowly coming to the conclusion that she was right, this wasn't something they could avoid. They would have to talk about it, '_without the bullshit_' as she so eloquently put it. Edward took Bella's hand and lead her to the car. He watched her face, and the surprise he was expecting when she registered the temperature of his skin wasn't there. Instead there was a confusion that seemed to be related to him not answering her statement. Edward crinkle his brow, _what did this mean?_

Bella was growing agitated with each step they took and he noticed that she was about to start yelling again so he stopped and put one finger over her mouth, shushing her. Bella stood there confused and a little exited for a moment before noticing that they had reached the car. She stood confused as Edward moved to her side and opened the passenger's side door, awaiting her entrance. Bella looked at him for a while before sliding in and buckling her seat belt, sending a silent message that she trusted him.

Edward made his way to his side, before starting the car. They drove for a while before Edward spoke.

"I don't want to leave my family in the dark. I've made too many decisions without them. It's time I start considering their welfare. I hope you allow me that luxury."

Bella smiled and looked at Edward, _finally _she thought before considering his words, she knew that whatever were to happen it would directly affect Chase, and she too, had to include her family.

She shifted in her chair to look at him.

"If you want answers you'll have to share some of your own."

Edward wasn't sure what she was getting at, and tensed again. Her words put him on edge.

"Relax, Edward. I already know your immortal secret."

The car swerved suddenly and Edward's head whipped to hers. His eyes were wide with disbelief and his mouth hung open at an almost comical angle. He waited for some sign that she was referring to some other less monumental secret, but she only smiled and mouthed the word 'Vampire'.

"How?"

Bella's smiled wider, "You let Chase and I explain, and I'll tell you everything."

* * *

* A _tell _is referring to the game of poker where a good poker face is essential to win the game. A _tell _is a signal to the other players that a certain player is lying. A _tell _can be anything. It could be a twitch, shifting of the eyes, or in Edward's case direct eye contact.

a/n They were giving each other the run around. How much do you hate me?

**Review please!**

**If you'd rather, answer this question: What would you most like to know about COS?**

I'm not putting any restrictions, ask what you like. I'll try and be honest.


	21. Chapter 20 part 1

a/n Ok so since I have very little time and this chapter was getting a-lot long, I decided to split it up. Sooo... answer to the poll in part two (or if you can riddle it out in this one)

a/n last chance to vote -which one is it?

a/n Betaed as usual by lanacullen21 

* * *

Chapter 20- Round table

They drove in gentle silence, but the anticipation was devouring Edward.

Tonight would be monumental, there would need to be a family meeting, and Bella and Chase would tell them how they knew so much, and in turn they would reveal how they knew so little.

Despite his anticipation he drove slowly, he wanted to give his family the appropriate time to get ready, assuming that Alice had seen them coming. There was also the issue of Isabella's brother Chase, she had just gotten off of the phone with him and after explaining what had happened he had agreed to meet her at the Cullen estate.

Bella looked over at Edward and sighed, the tension between them was thick and she wasn't sure how to break it. Small talk was never her thing.

"Soo..." she began, "bag any good animals lately?"

The car swerved dangerously and nearly hydroplaned, but Edward managed to regain control quickly. He guided the car back into the proper lane and slid it to a crawl by the side of the road, cautious of the wet weather.

Turning to look at Bella with a combination of shock, incredulity and amazement in his eyes, Bella realised that Edward was more than a little confused.

"What did you just say?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders looking around nervously. She knew by his reaction that that had been a terrible way to break the ice; however she had known no other way. She had a hard time with subtlety and it showed. To avoid a ten car pileup, Bella was quick to explain her reasoning while the car was not in motion.

"I was ust trying to make conversation."

Edward almost laughed, "And shocking me so much that I swerve the car and endanger your life is the best way to do it?"

Bella smiled to herself, relieved. The tension was gone. "Well it was one way. I don't think I heard you making suggestions."

Edward shook his head at her brazen attitude, but smiled. He had no idea how she could be so calm about this. He started the car up again, slowly making it back onto the road before he responded, "Next time ease me into the conversation."

Bella smirked, checked that her seatbelt was attached and began again, "Alright. So is it true that you and your family feed on animals?"

Edward looked up at the ceiling for a brief second as if to ask 'why?' but continued driving, trying in vain to figure out a way to not break Vampiric law. There was a pregnant pause before he answered.

"Yes."

He said nothing more and when Bella looked over she saw absolute confusion on Edward's face. It was mildly hilarious, for he looked like he was trying to solve a really difficult equation, but knowing Edward he had created his own proof to solve.

"Edward relax, Chase and I know quite a bit about vampires, and quite a bit about you and your family. I know it's shocking, but like I said we'll explain everything later."

Edward was silent for a moment. So she knew everything. He kept his eyes on the road while he let his mind wander. How could it be that two humans knew of their existence and still lived? He had always believed the Volturi to be the most orderly form of law in vampire society, yet they hadn't heard of Bella and Chase? He was glad of this fact, but couldn't quite believe it. There had to be another explanation. He looked over at Bella and saw she was looking out the windows at the dark night. It was colder now, and the rain had descended on them again making frozen pellets crash into the windows. Bella didn't seem disturbed by this, but he couldn't help but wonder for the thousandth time what she was thinking.

He tuned up the heat in the car, letting his mind again consider how it could be that Bella and Chase have evaded or escaped the Volturi's attention. It seemed (from what Bella had told him) that his and Alice's suspicions were somewhat true: you couldn't hide from the Volturi, but you could run. And if it was easy for them to be blocking him, perhaps it was reason enough to be blocking others too.

Looking briefly at Bella, Edward decided that if Bella was making an effort then he could too. Peeking shyly out of the corner of his eye, he inquired about his most invasive question, "Everything? Even...who and what you are?"

Bella tensed before she relaxed, it was time. "Yes, you show me yours and I'll show you mine."

Edward considered her offer but couldn't help his curiosity, "Why are you here, in Forks I mean? If you know what we are then it can't be a terrible coincidence that you'd move to a town where vampires live."

Bella's face paled and she looked away. Now that things were revealing themselves she was afraid that Edward and his family wouldn't like what they saw.

"No, it wasn't a coincidence."

She didn't elaborate and Edward wondered why. He was slightly on edge about her response because nothing good ever came from other's seeking them out. It was either they wanted something from them or they wanted something to do with them. It was silent for a moment before Edward decided to ask.

"Are we the reason you and Chase came here?"

Bella looked down at her lap, she didn't like where the conversation was going.

Edward saw her reaction and took it in affirmative; he turned back towards the road. Whatever Bella and Chase wanted to had to do with them.

They had arrived in Forks and were getting closer and closer to the bend that led towards the Cullen's house. As they approached it Edward tensed, though he trusted Bella he couldn't help but be on edge because of her earlier response. Bella had been around his family before and nothing had happened, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't being cautious enough.

When they finally did reach the end of the Cullen's driveway Edward stopped and parked the car. Bella looked at Edward before the automatic locks clicked on.

Edward turned to Bella. "Just tell me one thing. What do you want with me and my family?"

Bella took in the defensive pose Edward had and tensed as well, there was no way that she would win in a fight with him, not at this range, but more importantly she needed to show him that. Maybe then he would let his guard down.

"We need your help."

Edward stared at Bella for a while, measuring something, what Bella wasn't sure, but she didn't look away. Instead she stared back until he started the car again and drove forwards, making their way towards the house.

There was an awkward air about them; the Cullen's were all clustered in the foyer, even Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, whom Bella hadn't seen since the auction. They still had a tense disposition and Bella wasn't sure if she should break it. She looked around, unsure. Alice was bouncing slightly at her arrival which made her laugh. She was the most enthusiastic about her arrival by far, and while Mr. And Mrs. Cullen looked happy to see her they also looked a little worried too. The other Cullen's which Bella didn't know very well were pleasant but cautious. Jasper stood behind Alice but Bella didn't think it was in fear. It seemed that he was almost distancing Bella from himself, which Bella found odd. Emmett on the other hand looked enthusiastic about her presence, he still had a cautious air about him, but he seemed generally happy that she was there. The only person who didn't seem happy about her arrival was Edward's other sister, Rosalie. She looked as though she had eaten a sour apple. Posed defensively in front of Emmett, she looked on the defensive, and Bella took note to never threaten Emmett in her presence.

Bella greeted them all as they did her. There was a stall in conversation and Bella looked to Edward as if for instruction.

"Bella you remember my parents, Carlisle and Esme." Edward introduced.

"Welcome Bella." Startled she looked to Carlisle Cullen who had broken the silence to welcome her.

"So glad to see you again. "Esme said.

Edward and Carlisle seemed to share a moment with the intense look they both had on their faces. There was a moment of silence before Edward spoke.

"Bella has something she would like to share with us. It is important which is why we came without calling."

The way he spoke seemed oddly formal, and it seemed that he spoke as a formality which Bella didn't understand at all.

Alice stepped forward. "Why don't we all go to the living room and sit down? Bella, would you like some...water."

Alice had forgotten that human food expired, so everything they had had the last time Bella had visited was stale, and they had gotten rid of it. Now, with the short amount of preparation time they had had, food was completely forgotten on the list of things to do.

Bella smiled, warmed slightly by Alice's attempt, "No thanks we already had dinner."

Everyone but Bella and Alice turned to look at Edward, who shifted uncomfortably before muttering something too fast for her to catch.

Alice, looking around muttered the word 'living room' before turning, pulling a fixated Jasper behind her.

They all walked to the living room and sat down. Again a slightly awkward silence descended on them. It was a moment before Carlisle, who sat behind Esme's seat, spoke up.

"Welcome to our home Bella. We are happy to see you again. Edward here has mentioned you have something you wish to discuss?"

He was leaving it up to her, and Bella didn't know if she loved or hated him for it.

"Yes." She looked at Edward for any indication of reluctance but he looked secure and gave her a small, but definitive nod. She leaned forward and took a moment to look at all of the Cullen's before she began.

"Well, I see that I've taken many of you by surprise. I think you all know by now that Chase and I aren't what we seem."

Many of the Cullen's looked uncomfortable, while others looked mildly confused.

"Before I say anything about us I think it's important to say that Edward and I think it's best if we lay everything out in the open. We have both been hiding things and while this wasn't intentional I think it's best if we open up to one another."

Rosalie, sitting in the corner of the room huffed and looked over to the large man-child sitting next to her before muttering something extremely fast. He frowned back at her and nudged her slightly muttering a low 'be nice'.

Bella had stopped but decided to keep going; if she was going to get this out she needed to focus.

"Now, since my brother Chase and I have moved here we've noticed several... abnormalities that your family share. At first I thought nothing of it; I thought you were all pale kids from Alaska, just like the town thought, until I saw Esme." She looked over at the woman in question, who looked a bit taken aback. Bella offered a short smile before continuing on.

"When I saw Esme it all came together. You all look nothing alike, but your eye colour, your skin, your beauty and the way you carry yourselves. It's all foreign, different. It didn't take long for me to put together that you were all related in another way. And it took even less time for Chase to fess up to why we came here."

She paused and snuck a look at Edward. She was relieved to find that he didn't show any signs of anger, but then again she wasn't even close to finished.

"Edward was right when he guessed why we came to Forks. We came here for you."

She didn't wait for things to sink in and continued, "The things that separate you are odd, but put together it's clear that you are different for a reason. You couldn't fool us for very long, you're not human."

The whole room was silent. Bella mused that the old saying 'you could have heard a pin drop' was exceptionally true at that moment. The Cullen's simply stared at her for a moment before shifting their gaze toward Edward.

Bella seeing the direction of their gaze spoke, "Edward hasn't told me anything about this."

Several eyes shifted to hers in disbelief, but she stared back in defiance. This was true of course, but it wouldn't have mattered if he had said anything, she and Chase had known that the Cullen's were vampires the minute Jessica Stanley revealed their little slip ups. And after Chase had locked himself in his room for the third straight night following that, Bella had cornered him, and he had confessed.

"I don't know how we found you exactly, Chase hasn't explained that part to me yet, but once Chase realised what was going on, we knew what you were."

She trudged on, "We had to get closer to you, and since you are all paired off it was decided that I would get closer to Edward." She didn't look at him as she said this. "I know that it must have been odd to have a human be so close to you but it wasn't to just become a part of your group. Once I got to know you I really liked all of you; truly, I want you to know that that isn't what this is about."

"Then what is it about?" Carlisle gently asked.

Bella looked at him then let her eyes gradually trail from one golden pair of eyes to the next. This was the hard part. Bella sighed, she wished that there was an easy way to go about gaining their trust, but as she looked into Edward's eyes for the first time since they had sat down she knew that if she was going to be honest she had to hurt him, she had to tell the truth.

"We've kept secrets from each other. I know Edward and Alice have checked up on me, but I too have been checking up on you."

Several Cullen's looked confused. Edward and Alice looked shamefully abashed, while Rosalie looked downright pissed.

"Why have you been so curious about us, huh?"

Bella tuned to look at Rosalie.

"I think I could ask you the same question."

Rosalie seemed to inflate slightly as if building in some way but Alice quickly cut her off. "How could you know that we checked up on you?"

Bella looked at her, "You, Edward and Jasper aren't the only ones that are gifted."

There was a collective gasp and everyone save Rosalie looked shocked that such information was common knowledge.

"I know that this may come as a shock to you but I know a lot more about your world than you think I do. Chase and I have grown up in it and learning that the monsters under the bed are real wasn't a fun treat."

Esme gasped, and then sighed while putting one hand on Carlisle's and the other to her mouth in shock.

"Bella," Carlisle spoke up, "In our world, such information can be dangerous. Can I ask you how you seem to know all of this?"

Bella looked at him, "Like I said, Chase and I have grown up around all of the abnormal. You're not the first monsters I've met."

She had accidentally looked in Edward's direction, and the look on his face had made her stop talking. He looked pained, and squirmed like someone had his hand pinned under a hot fire, leaving it there to burn while challenging him to stay put. Bella didn't know what to say so she continued speaking, shooting worried glances at Edward every couple of seconds.

"I was born on July 14th. Chase was born six minutes before me. And together we made the prophecy come true."

"What prophecy?" Jasper asked at once. Bella had almost forgotten he was there. She looked at him but he had an all business air about him, so she looked away as she answered.

"The curse of the Pope sons of The Covenant."

There was only a split second of silence before questions flew at her from all sides.

"What is The Covenant?"

"Why are you cursed?"

"What does this have to do with us?"

The last question came from Rosalie and Bella cut her a dirty look before putting her head in her hands. "I, I need Chase." Bella drove her fingers through her hair; this was not going at all the way it was supposed to.

The room quieted for a second and she herd Edward suggest that she call Chase. She peeked out at him and smiled in gratitude.

Finding her cell phone in her purse she quickly texted chase and _SOS_ in hopes he would respond quickly.

"Bella?" She heard. She looked up towards Esme's face, "I'm sorry for our rude behaviour, but we are incredibly curious. We haven't yet me someone who's had more of a... colourful history than ours."

Bella sat up, "It's alright. It's just, a little overwhelming."

Esme smiled, "We understand this can't be easy, just take your time."

Bella sighed, "I'll take that water now."

There was a lull in conversation as Esme had risen to get Bella her glass of water. The remaining Cullen's were left staring at Bella or Edward in an uncomfortable stand-off. Bella felt her phone vibrate in her hand and looked down, relieved. She was glad for the distraction, because the tension in the room was too much to handle at the moment.

Bella looked at the screen and pressed a few buttons so that she could read the text that she had just received.

_Bella are you alright? _

_-Chase_

Bella looked up into the dumbfounded, confused, angry and downright upset faces before her and knew that she could use some support.

_Not really. I could use some help. Are you close?_

_-Bella_

She waited a few seconds before getting her reply.

_Almost there. 5mins._

_-Chase_

She put her phone away and hoped that this would get easier.

Carlisle stepped forward after Bella had put her phone down, they needed to take control of the situation before things got out of control, and if the level of Rosalie's anger was any indication then talking things out would need to be done in a calm and orderly manner.

He looked at each one of his family members and, in speech too fast for human ears to comprehend, tried to persuade them to keep a level head so that they could talk this out nicely.

Carlisle turned towards her "Bella, I think we all are just a little confused on how you seem to know so much about us, but considering your relationship with Edward and the delicate nature of things, I think we should tread lightly." He looked pointedly at Rosalie as he said the last part.

Bella sighed, she wished that there was an easy way to go about gaining their trust, but as she looked into Edward's eyes before answering.

"I think we should wait for Chase to get here before I continue."

Several of them nodded in understanding, but Rosalie huffed again, louder this time. "Why is it that you are here in our home telling us what to do?"

"Rosalie!" Esme interrupted. Rosalie continued on as though she had said nothing.

"We've been patient with you, allowed you to get closer to us more than anyone has before. Don't you understand the risk we've taken with you?"

Bella scowled at Rosalie. Didn't she hear herself? "Well I'm sorry if everything isn't a convenience for you. But the world doesn't revolve around you princess. Since you've been snooping through my past I thought I'd share it with you. It does concern you after all."

Rosalie's face darkened in anger, and she stood up, knocking her chair back. Her angry state more important than the warning Alice was about to shoot out. "I don't think you understand. We've put ourselves on the line for just acknowledging you, so you better start seeing things from our perspective and stop acting like a spoiled little brat!"

Bella rounded on Rosalie, her blood boiling, "See this from _your _perspective? And what exactly is there to see? As far as I know we have the same problem and the sooner you start helping us the easier life is going to be for all of us."

There was a confused silence that didn't seem to reach Rosalie, as her anger seemed to escalate, rising from her face and freezing her disposition. Bella took in Rosalie's widened eyes and her clenched jaw. Her posture was one of absolute rage and appeared to be about to move forward, but Emmett immediately stood up and put a light hold on his mate's shoulder. For the first time since she could remember Bella was a little afraid.

"Is that a threat?" Rosalie growled.

Jasper shifted uncomfortably at the amount of anger both women were pumping into the room, and attempted to send waves of calm and lethargy to the both of them, hoping to dissolve the situation.

Bella sighed, suddenly tired. She attempted to fight off the urge to sit down and give in to her lethargy, "No, it's not a threat. But you sit there all high and mighty and expect me to spew my whole life story at you, while you offer nothing."

The room was deathly silent, and for once, Rosalie had nothing to say.

The doorbell rang then and Bella almost collapsed in relief. She wondered if it would be rude if she answered the Cullen's door. She was relieved of the duty when Esme got up and breezed towards the door. Soon Chase stepped in looking a little uncomfortable but also highly concerned. When he saw Bella he rushed over to her and picked her up, squeezing her slightly before asking her in a whisper if she was okay.

"I'm fine." She said. She looked past him into the curious faces of the Cullen's. Chase was here now.

It was show time.

She pulled Chase down into the loveseat she had been sitting in.

Chase looked around and could tell he had walked in on something big. Every one of the Cullen's looked curious and even though they looked patient he could tell that that patience was wearing thin.

He caught (who he knew to be) Rosalie's eyes and raised his brows. She looked exceptionally displeased and Chase could only guess why. One hour with each other and Rosalie and Bella both had sour moods.

As Chase sat down Carlisle stepped forward, "Welcome to our home Chase. I'm not sure how much Bella has told you, but we were discussing certain...histories of your family and how they affect ours."

Since Carlisle did not yet know what linked them both Bella thought he did a good job of summarizing what he did know.

Chase nodded and looked at Bella silently asking her 'do you want to start or should I?'

Bella rolled her eyes and nodded her head towards him, she had had enough of the Q & A time, and it was his turn to take the lead.

He smirked at Bella's expression but turned towards the Cullen's, ready to start.

"So what you've been told isn't everything. There is more, and while we know that you won't be very receptive to the news, you need to understand that we did what we thought had to."

Several Cullen's looked confused once more and Edward asked, "Bella already warned us about something like that. What do you think you 'had to do'?"

Chase looked and Bella and she nodded but became very interested at a piece of fluff on the sweater she was wearing.

"Well," Chase began, "we had to get close to you, all of you, so that we could use you as leverage for later."

That was honestly as he could put it, and Chase could tell from the moment the words left his mouth that he had been right. Edward looked quite troubled and pushed his hands through is hair before holding it in anguish. Rosalie stood up in outrage and was only restrained by her mate, Emmett. Jasper looked quite angry too, but didn't get up; he and Alice remained seated but looked quite upset. Carlisle and Esme had a horrible mix of betrayal and devastation on their faces, and Chase couldn't help but detect a fierce bout of protectiveness coming from the both of them.

He looked over at Bella and saw the dirty look she was giving him. She was shaking her head as if to say 'you couldn't have done that any other way?'

He hurried to fix his mistake, "It may seem horrible now, but once we explain, once you understand, I'm sure you'll be grateful."

"Grateful!"

It was the wrong thing to say. Rosalie once more fought to be freed from Emmett and tugged with what seemed all her might. Emmett too, seemed to be using what was or was close to his full strength to prevent Rosalie from doing her worst and Chase sat back concerned that Emmett would lose his grip on her.

Carlisle moved toward the centre of the room, and raised his hands in what was to be a calming gesture.

"We are all on edge. Everyone please relax. Now, I'm sure that given the fact that Chase and Bella are both here to explain what is going on that they have honourable intentions. Though if they do not," and with this Carlisle turned to the pair, "they will become enemies of this family and will no longer be welcome here."

Both Bella and Chase looked nervous, if their plan failed, then they would both be dead.

"However," Carlisle continued, "that will be determined though discussion, where we will listen to what they have to say."

He looked at Rosalie as he said the last part.

When he felt that the silence had allowed his message sink in Carlisle turned back around to Bella and Chase. "To the both of you, I am sorry for the way my family has been acting, you must understand that while we try our best to give others their privacy, it can be difficult since we have no secrets in this family. I must admit that information is easily passed around and when there is something we are curious about we are used to easy answers."

Bella nodded to herself and momentarily forgot that she was not the one explaining things. "We realise that. It must be hard with so many invasive abilities in the house."

Without meaning to, Bella had once again shocked the Cullen's into silence.

Carlisle raised his eyebrows after a while and conquered, "Yes, it is. Bella tell us, now that Chase is present how is it that you are so familiar with our family?"

Bella choked a little on the air in her throat. If there was a question that she didn't want to answer it had to be that one.

"Well...I, uh. Chase and I have, uh-"

"Bella and I have been watching you." Chase answered easily for her. "We added what we know to what we've noticed and have created a firm base of who 'the Cullen's' are." He continued.

Maybe it was the air quotes or maybe it was a culmination of the entire night, but as Chase finished his sentence Rosalie broke free of Emmett's hold. It seemed that he had let his guard down as he listened and didn't expect Rosalie to suddenly burst free.

Everyone seemed to freeze for a moment before there was a spring of action.

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a/n leave a review and tell me what you think :D


	22. Chapter 20 part 2

a/n Well here it is- sorry for the wait ;)

a/n **In chapter 16 I referred to John Putnam's mistress to be Mary even though the movie says her name was Agnes. I have fixed this mistake and switched the names back to what they are supposed to be. Agnes is the mother of Hegan and Mary is the mother of Alex and Jane. Sorry for the confusion.

* * *

Chapter 20- Round Table- Part 2

There was a moment that neither party missed.

The Cullen's, being supernatural beings with supernatural reflexes caught each moment. In fact, within a second of Rosalie's detachment, both Emmett and Jasper moved to apprehend her. Despite both Bella and Chase being human, their reflexes (when it came to imminent threats) were surprisingly accurate.

When Rosalie quickly approached, Chase reacted instinctively.

Both Bella and the Cullen's couldn't believe what happened next.

As though stepping into an invisible wall Rosalie stopped six feet in front of the loveseat Chase and Bella was seated at. Stopping for a second as though frozen, Rosalie was almost as quickly thrown backwards flailing uncontrollably though the air.

Bella looked over at her brother and took note of his coal black eyes and frowned. _The cat is out of the bag now, she thought._

As soon as Rosalie hit the far wall everyone seemed to react instinctively.

Emmett moved to where Rosalie had fallen and posed himself in front of her defensively. Jasper moved quickly to the centre of the room and took a defensive stance with Alice directly behind him, calmly touching his arm.

Edward remained seated, as did Esme, though it did appear to take sheer will.

Reacting to everyone, both Chase and Bella rose as well standing side-by-side in front of the mess they had created.

Emmett helped Rosalie up but didn't release her. Rosalie continued to struggle until Carlisle strode powerfully to the centre of the room.

"That is enough!"

Everyone stopped moving.

"Emmett take Rosalie somewhere and help her calm down. You may return when she is able to control herself."

Rosalie looked very angry, but did not appear to be about to disregard a direct order from her coven leader. As it was she gave a withering glare to both Chase and Bella before leaving with Emmett close behind her.

Carlisle turned to the rest of his family, "Now, if everyone else will relax, we will continue our conversation. Jasper if you could help the rest of us with the residual anger in the room?"

Everyone's shoulders seemed to sag as a wave of calm surged through the room. The tension that had been present not one minute prior had evaporated. Both Bella and Chase sat down as another wave of calm hit them, followed by a quick bout of skepticism that left them confused and slightly unsure about their plan.

Esme stood up from her position on the sofa which surprised everyone. "Now forgive me for my abruptness, after all you've seen I'm sure you understand that we almost feel entitled to the truth since we live without the need for lies. But I too share my daughters protective nature for my family. Please, tell us you reasons for coming here tonight. " Esme looked at the both of them hoping that her instincts had been right and that they were not a threat to her family.

Bella looked away from her gaze. She couldn't help but feel badly for everything they had put the Cullen's through, both tonight and the day since they had met them.

She took a deep breath and looked at Chase. He nodded, it was now or never.

"You asked us how we knew so much. Well, growing up Chase and I were ostracized from our group, those who were like us. It happened centuries ago, but those in our family no longer have the connection to the covenant that we did before the Salem witch trials. It was a confusing time, if you had even a dark thought you were suspected of witchcraft. Demons, vampires, witches they were all highly feared. Our ancestor, John Putnam was caught, and burned...but he didn't die. We're not exactly sure how he survived, or if he even did but he came back as an incubus in the dreams of Agnes Pope. The remaining members of the covenant hid, and eventually relocated to Ipswich, Massachusetts. There they settled, raised families and continued the bloodlines, documenting each one and writing down all they could in the Book of Damnation.

"What is _that_?" Bella was sure that the question wasn't meant to be offensive, but it appeared to her in that way. The was a note of defensiveness in her voice when she answered.

"It is a book. It details our families' histories, our spells, legends and everything there is to know about the covenant. It also has stories about mythical creatures rumoured to exist: Werewolves, vampires, fairies, and witches."

She looked over at Edward who was staring at her in earnest and decided it was time to let it all out. She walked over to him and said, "I'm a witch. We both are."

He stared at her blankly.

She shifted awkwardly on her feet and decided to try and explain.

"Well we're not really witches. We're cursed, sort-of. Touched by The Power and damned to carry its mark."

She was rambling and absentmindedly saw Chase roll his eyes. But she stayed firm, they needed to know.

Edward's expression hadn't changed, in fact he looked like someone had slammed a rather large and heavy industrial hammer over his head. She continued, scared at what he would say when he finally realised what she was saying.

"We need your help, at fist it was nothing more than the wish for you to help us with our past, but once we discovered what was after us...we knew that we had bigger things to worry about."

"What exactly are you running from?" It was Jasper who asked, and both Bella and Chase took note of the suspicion in his voice.

Bella looked around, extremely nervous for some reason.

"We knew that since your family was vegetarian we could trust you, and when Chase discovered your history with the Volturi we hoped that it was a good sign that you would be willing to."

"Willing to?" Jasper pressed.

"Help us fight the Volturi coven."

The silence was almost deafening, and no one moved for a very long time. Bella was afraid to breathe, least she stir the waters and have the Cullen's throw her and Chase out.

The silence stretched on before it was filled with an unexpected voice.

"So can you ride a broom?"

Everyone turned to look at Emmett who had returned with calm but sullen Rosalie, who stood in the corner. Unexpectedly, she stuck out her hand and slapped him in the back of the head. The 'twack' led Emmett to emit a loud 'ouch'.

Chase chose to intervene, "No we don't ride brooms, or cackle as a general rule."

Bella rolled her eyes, but Carlisle spoke up making her freeze.

"You want to fight the Volturi?" There was an incredulity to his voice that made Bella nervous.

Bella sat back down on the sofa she had shared with Chase. "Please, just hear us out, after we've explained everything you can decide what you want to do."

He nodded and after a moment smiled and asked the question he had been wondering since Bella had made her announcement.

"So you and Chase are witches?"

She nodded her head and disregarded the unbelievable way in which everything she was saying sounded.

"Could you explain further? I assume by what you are saying that you are not a traditional witch?"

Bella turned to face him, "Well, I don't know any traditional witches. We all can't be like Samantha and Harry Potter."

Carlisle looked slightly embarrassed, "No, I didn't mean to insult you, I was simply curious."

Bella sighed, "Like Chase said, we don't ride brooms. We also don't have wands and I don't have to scrunch up my nose and wiggle it to use magic."

The last part was aimed at Emmett, who looked like he was about to ask some ridiculous question pertaining to the myths that were out there. He closed his mouth and crossed his hands looking a little disappointed.

"Like vampires, the folklore that surrounds our coven has myths that make the perception of witches much like Hollywood. Glamorous."

Chase nodded, "But where Hollywood has made being a witch sound desirable and glamorous, the reality is quite different."

There was a bitterness in his tone, and Bella knew that he was speaking of his true feelings.

"When Bella said we were cursed, she wasn't lying. What we are, it isn't natural. It isn't right. But we can't be any other way. It's a burden to be born of the Covenant."

He ended his sentence with a violent stab of his keys into the couch.

Everyone was quiet for a moment before Edward, who had been sitting in a shocked and confused silence spoke.

"I don't understand. Bella, Chase what are you trying to tell us?"

He sounded slightly angry and Bella hoped that his anger would not escalate.

"The powers we have right now developed when we hit puberty. Everything changed; we went from being normal kids to awkward pre-teens with these gifts that we didn't understand how to control. Everyone in our bloodline has had to undergo the same thing, but none of them had the gift of knowledge, none of them knew what to expect.

Growing up not knowing what this was terrifying. For Chase and I it was something we couldn't talk about. We were both adopted so we knew we couldn't speak of this to anyone in our family. It wasn't 'normal' . It needed to be kept hidden away, and if we wanted to practice using it had to be behind closed doors with no one around."

Chase looked down at the expensive carpet and Bella decided to take over for him. "Using our powers isn't as easy as it sounds. It comes with a price. Every time, every spell or wish or urge we carry out comes with the consequence of of the addiction. Once you start its hard to stop. You'll use until you die."

Several Cullen' s were unsettled, including Edward who looked quite puzzled about something.

Carlisle spoke up. "Why weren't you told of these consequences? Weren't there others in the Covenant besides you two?"

"That's complicated. Our family has held a ...resentment towards the sons of Ipswich and communication has been nonexistent."

"The sons of Ipswich?" Carlisle asked in confusion.

"They are the current descendants of the covenant."

Carlisle nodded as if lost in thought then asked, "And your parents?"

Bella and Chase looked at each other. Bella nodded, and Chase removed a picture he had taken of his father before he had died. It had had little use before now, but they both thought it was the best way to convey their point.

He held out the picture to Carlisle and Esme who were seated directly in front of them.

"This is Phillip, our father. He was thirty five years old when this picture was taken."

As soon as they were in close range Carlisle gasped, and Esme let out a small scream. It was shocking sure to see such an elderly man that was still living, yet the shocking part of it was his true age.

"These powers we have now are nothing compared to what we'll get when we ascend. They become a thousand times stronger, and they are seductive. Dangerous. For our father that's when he really started to use, and use; aging each time, taking bits of his life, until there was nothing left."

Carlisle looked up at them, "And what does this mean, ascending? Can you avoid it?"

Chase shook his head, "No there is no avoiding it. Once we reach the age of maturity we will both ascend."

"That is to mean that you will ascend on your 18th birthday?" Bella looked over at him and noted the concern on his face, she couldn't help wondering if it was genuine.

"Yes." She confirmed for Edward.

He stood up, quite angrily and began pacing back and forth.

"Ah, yes, well." She said while eying Edward's angry movements, "Ascending isn't the problem; well, it isn't the main problem. You see, we're twins-"

"Way to state the obvious."

Bella shot an annoyed glance Rosalie's way. She and Emmett were still in the entryway, presumably because Rosalie's temper knew no bounds.

"As I was saying," she continued through clenched teeth, "Chase and I are twins, both born in the Covenant. That in itself is supposed to be impossible. Only the first male born of the Covenant are supposed to have The Power, no one else."

Chase gave Bella a look of concern; he knew it bothered her that according to the covenant she wasn't supposed to exist, yet he was glad that she did, prophecy or no prophecy, he was glad to have a sister like Bella.

"We've been having dreams, Bella calls them memories but we're not really sure what they are. We've made small discoveries. Pieces of the story come at random times, but the stories we've heard along with these dreams have lead us here."

"Chase and I have learned enough about our family history that we feel confident about not having the book of damnation. Though the pieces of the puzzle are not all filled in, these dreams are helping."

"Alright so how do we come into the picture?" Emmett asked, in what Bella guessed was impatience.

Bella sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time that night, "Well to put it simply, we- twins born of the Covenant- are a manifestation of power. The first born males are already cursed, but when two are born, it is worse. Or shall I say they are worse off. There is the fear that those twins will be the witch twins.

"Witch twins?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, I'm sure you've heard the term before." Chase responded.

Carlisle shifted in his seat and looked at him thoughtfully, " I have come across that term when looking into some of the Volturi's achives. And of course when I've looked at the history surrounding Alec and Jane of that particular coven, but it is mainly the fear of death that the two have spread throughout Europe that have fueled the rumours, nothing more."

"But that is just it. Those rumors were guided by more than just simple human fear. The witch twins both have extra powers that form with puberty. One each, based on their personalities, and their surroundings. While Jane and Alec are both frightening vampires, they began as frightening witches."

Carlisle sat back in his chair, "Are you saying that Jane and Alec of the Volturi are these witch twins you speak of?"

"Yes."

"Im not sure I understand." Carlisle said.

"The twins are powerful weapons, both with unlimited power and one additional resource that allows them superiority. And while using The Power makes you feel invincible, enough so that you may want to take advantage of it, we're not meant to be this powerful. We're not meant to live forever, but the witch twins are rumoured to be immortal, hence their appeal." Chase explained.

"Whoever has access to the witch twins has a great advantage, they have invincible power to use however they want." Bella concluded.

"And you believe that Jane and Alec are those twins?"

Chase and Bella looked at each other. "We can't be positive, but it would explain why five months ago Chase saw a pale man stalking around Chase's school. Then again, right after the-"

"Right after we decided to move. We saw him again. Tall, dark hair, red eyes." Chase finished for Bella giving her a slightly dirty look for slipping up.

"He's been following us, and we didn't know why until we started having the dreams." Bella said. "Look I know how this sounds, but if we're right then it isn't just us that are in danger. "

Several of the Cullen's looked confused while other looked concerned.

"If the Volturi get their hands on us then they won't have one pair of witch twins, they'll have two."

Several Cullen's looked concerned before Edward broke the silence, "yes Carlisle I think you're right."

To anyone else it would have been a bit confusing, and Rosalie, Emmett and Esme did look a little startled before Edward spoke.

"Bella says she knows everything, so why hide our gifts from them anymore, they seem to know all about them."

There was an uncomfortable silence before Chase spoke up, "Yes, about that. I'm sure you've figured out by now that we are blocking you."

Alice spoke up for the first time, "Is there any way you could stop, even by sitting here whatever you are doing is giving me a headache."

They both looked at her, and noticed for the first time that she did look a little pained; Bella guessed that sitting in their presence for such a long time couldn't have been comfortable.

"We blocked you, because while your family is different, we weren't one hundred percent sure if we could trust you. We took a chance here tonight by telling you everything, but don't think for a second that we've let down our guard."

Bella grabbed Chase's arm and squeezed, silently telling him to relax.

Carlisle stood, "Based on everything you have told us so far, we believe that your coming here was the right thing to do. However I cannot sit here while one of my children is in pain."

Chase frowned, "If we can have your word that nothing will happen to either of us by your hand, or any of you, then I will lift the spell."

Carlisle nodded, "Yes, of course I will agree to that. On the grounds that you will not harm any member of my family, now or in the future."

Chase stared at Carlisle for a long time, "Alright." He got up and shook Carlisle's hand. "But I warn you, if you cross me or Bella we will kill you."

Everyone tensed before Carlisle added, "That won't be necessary, I am a man of my word."

Chase nodded, "the kitchen?" He asked Esme. She pointed to the right where a hallway led to the kitchen they rarely used.

Chase left leaving Bella sitting alone on the couch.

The silence that resumed was loud enough that Bella felt the need to try and fill it.

"So... what are you all thinking?"

Several Cullen's blinked at her in response while Rosalie hissed. Bella sneered back and stupidly added, "I thought there were no secrets?'"

She sniggered only for a moment before noticing the perturbed look on Edward's face.

"Right, well. I'm sure you know of the twins we're talking about. Jane and Alec along with Aro are after us. We don't know if it's because they want our power or if they know something we don't about the prophecy, but we need your help either way."

Bella took a deep breath, it was all out in the open now, all of it and they would either reject or accept them.

"How are you so sure of all of this?" She looked at Edward, secretly happy that he wasn't angry at her for her little jab at Rosalie, and answered him.

"Before my mother killed herself she had certain things to tell me. She wanted me to know what to be afraid of I guess. It was the reason she gave us up for adoption. Separated we were harder to find, as well as less likely to make the prophecy come true."

"If I can so ask, how do we help you with this prophecy problem?"

Bella turned to look at Jasper who had spoken. She wished then that Chase would come back soon, but she knew it would take him a while.

"We want your protection."

There was an edged silence and Chase suddenly came into the room, startling Bella and several other Cullen's with his coal black eyes.

He blinked several times and his eyes returned to their normal colour.

"It's done," He assured them and sat down beside Bella. The Cullen's continued to state, lost in their own thoughts.

"What did you say?" Chase whispered once he took in the lively conversation that was happening.

Bella looked around nervously, "I told the truth." She whispered back.

Bella sat back and looked around nervously and Chase leaned forward.

"We aren't sure how long The Volturi have been after us. We can keep running, but sooner or later they will catch up. Bella and I desperately need your help, if not to stand up to them, then to hide from them."

No one knew what to say after Chase's statement. Edward was at a loss for words, wondering what part of his relationship with Bella was true.

Alice and Jasper were quietly contemplating the pros and cons of each action they might take. Alice using her freshly restored visions and Jasper thinking of possible strategies.

Emmett and Rosalie were whispering loudly back and forth, Rosalie seemingly angry and Emmett quietly reassuring her.

The little conversation that had erupted were suddenly disrupted by Edward, who had been quietly standing in the corner, sudden outburst.

"If you are so keen on hiding then why make a scene like you did in Port Angeles?"

Bella turned to look at him. She had been sneaking glances all afternoon but had not fully looked at him since their time in the car.

"That was different I-"

"Different how? You seemed to be using those men just as you were planning to use us."

"Edward." The one word from Carlisle silenced Edward and he walked away leaving Bella thunderstruck.

It was silent for a moment before Carlisle spoke. "Bella, Chase I think my family needs time to discuss what you've told us here today. After we've talked, we'll come to a decision. "

Bella swallowed and nodded trying to hide the hurt Edward's reaction caused. She and Chase stood up, looking one last time at the Cullen's before making their way to the door.

"Goodbye. I hope you make the right decision." Chase said as he walked out into the night.

Before leaving Bella turned to look one last time at the staircase, her gut was churning with nervousness and she didn't know what to do.

"Don't worry." Bella looked at Alice, who had followed her to the door. "He'll come around, he's just hurt that you've kept this from him." She had an optimistic smile on her face that Bella didn't know what to make of.

Bella smiled sadly, embarrassed that her emotions were now on full display in front of everyone, "I never wanted this, but we can't do it alone. I'm sorry."

She left then, and Alice closed the door behind her, thinking up to Edward that he shouldn't judge so quickly.

"Alright everyone, we need to discuss this. Family meeting right now." Carlisle called from the living room.

Alice nodded her head to herself but stopped when a vision suddenly hit her.

_There were footprints in the grass. _

_The tall everglades made detection difficult but they walked towards a clearing, their foes became more clear. _

_The guard stood in a semi-circle around them. Aro at the head with Jane and Alec at his side. _

_"Welcome. I am sure by now you know why we are here."_

_The scene changed. Edward stepped forward protectively in-front of Bella, "You won't take her!" He yelled._

_Then pain, movement and Edward lay in the grass, slain. Bella screaming, Chase yelling and using his powers._

_Darkness and the grinding sound of immortal bodies being pulled apart. _

"Alice?"

Alice blinked several times to clear the horrific images of her family's butchered bodies while focusing on Jasper, her mate who stood in front of her.

She couldn't erase the images, her perfect memory forbid that, but the vague shots of what came next allowed her some clarity.

When her visions eased off and then finally cleared, she looked up at Jasper. He was holding her in his arms and and silently rubbing his hand up and down her arm. Alice's wide eyes stared up at him.

"I know what we need to do." She said with absolute confidence.

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a/n So the poll result was #4 'Bella and Chase want their help to fight another coven.'

a/n Only one person got it right! Whoever you are congratulations!


	23. Chapter 21

a/n Sorry for the wait, there have been several things keeping me from writing but I managed to squeeze a chapter out for ya!

a/n As some of you may know FanFiction has been dicey for the last month or so. I know that the review button hasn't always been working and some other features are off so IF there is a question you would like answered or if you'd just like to say hello, I have enabled my email. Also, PM's are still working to my knowledge.

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Chapter 21- Lies

Alice sat at the dining room table at the far end opposite Carlisle. To her left was her mate Jasper, and beside him was Rosalie who kept straightening with alertness then slouching with anger. Beside her was Esme, who kept a sane and calm demeanour while Carlisle discussed the night's events at the head of the table. Emmett, who had continued his night's duty, kept eye contact with Rosalie throughout the conversation, trying to calm and reassure her.

Edward, who had begrudgingly made his way down-stairs shortly after Carlisle had called the meeting stood at the very edge of the room looking sullen. Although he remained in the room, Edward's body language was closed-off, and he spoke very little, preferring to remain hunched over and deep in thought.

Completely understanding, Carlisle and the rest of the family engaged him as little as possible, although every so often Rosalie would send a mental as well as verbal jab his way. Though Edward stood unmoving, the night had taken a toll on him that he found hard to recover from so quickly. He shifted slightly, and looked up briefly to Carlisle before returning to look at his shoes.

As if on cue Rosalie was reminded of the person responsible for this whole mess, and thought towards Edward that instead of sulking he should grow a pair and deal with his mess.

Edward pursed his lips and growled lowly at Rosalie's callous thoughts. He was standing there now for his family's sake only, and if not for them he would have remained in his room. It pained him that he was so little help to his family now, but adding anything of substance would be difficult, he didn't know what to do exactly and was struggling to come to terms with the fact that letting Bella into his life had been a mistake, one that had nearly put his family in danger and (if he wasn't careful) still could.

When they had all come to a decision (thought not unanimously- per Rosalie's obvious ire) they had agreed to take the next day off of school and work for Carlisle while further discussing their decision with their mates. They would also be devising a plan, which they would re-convene at noon for.

Completely spent emotionally from the torrent of emotions he had had to endure Jasper was relieved for the temporary pause. Passing Edward, he noticed the inner turmoil that Edward was now experiencing. His brother had always been the most closed off of all of his siblings, yet no one truly understood how much Edward had to endure, he himself could manipulate the emotions he felt, changing the situation and manipulating it to his will, but Edward had a one-way ability, he could only hear and had no say in what he did end up being privy to. The tense situations and the embarrassing thoughts all seemed to add a layer to his amour, and the one person he let it down had betrayed him.

Jasper knew better than to feel sorry for him, because of his ability he could sense what Edward was feeling and felt that for himself, but even more than that he could emotionally understand what that person was going through. It was an unstable ability. As everyone filed out of the dining room he went to catch up with Edward telling Alice he would meet her in the woods. Jasper tried to coax Edward to join him and Alice for a short run and a little hunting but Edward barely looked at him before telling him that he'd pass.

Edward continued up the stairs, knowing what Jasper had gone through and what he and Alice would really be up to, declined and had returned to his room. At the table Alice had stared at her mate in obvious alarm, it had only a few days since Jasper had hunted last and she knew that it was not as easy for him to preserve his thirst for as long as the rest of the family could. As Alice stared at him she could see the toll the last few days had taken on him, what with their charade of blending in at Forks high, and the epic roller coaster of emotions Bella and Chase had put them through with Edward, and now the small atomic bomb that they had dropped on the whole family . His nerves were on edges and his patience was running out, sometimes at moments like this, she wished that she could take some of the burden his gift gave him, while other times she wished he wasn't gifted at all. Though neither of those possibilities could come true and the best thing she could do for him now what to calm down and spend some time with him.

Jasper left with Alice, and the two ran North towards the border and closer and closer towards the untamed wildlife. It was liberating at first, leaving their troubles behind and just enjoying the time they had together to just _be_, with Alice by his side it was simply just another day where no one was bothering them, and the Volturi weren't planning on decimating them and time was endless_._

Alice and Jasper spent the next several hours moving up as far as the borders of Canada to hunt for game. When they had finished they found a small secluded alcove below a cliff that overlooked the ocean, and sat. It was moments like this that made Alice glad she was an immortal because she would never tire of the warm feeling of the sun on her face or the glistening sparkle of Jasper's hand in hers.

After the sun had risen, they took their time making their way back home. Alice was eager to find Edward, she had been quite angry at his behaviour towards Bella and couldn't wait to tell him what a little shit he was being, but she had put it off, her mate had needed her. Now Jasper smiled as he read Alice's oddly placed excitement, he didn't have to guess to realise that Alice was planning on tearing Edward a new one when they got home, and the morning had done wonders to calm and relax him. He stopped about four miles away from their home and told Alice to keep going while he stayed in the woods.

Alice smiled as him and gave him a quick peck, taking off gracefully in the direction of the house. She understood that Jasper would not want to come back to the house when she and Edward were sure to have a very heated argument and did not blame him for staying in the woods.

Alice made her way towards the house at a leisurely pace –though leisurely for a vampire – while translating her words into Flemish. She was lucky that that was one language that Edward hadn't mastered and he would remain completely in the dark.

She made it to the house and made it straight towards Edwards's room. She could not hear very much above her, all of the other family members were out and Edward was the only one to stay home. However, that was not what bothered Alice, Edward's room which would almost always reveal him religiously playing or writing or listening to music was silent. There were no sounds of instruments coming from the speakers in his room. Alice ascended the stairs cautiously, she did not know what to expect from this melancholy Edward, she had been told stories of a time where he was quite alone and almost always kept to himself, but had never witnessed them. She had known a reserved Edward, and recently what was becoming an outgoing version of himself, but she feared what would happen now that he had begun to retreat into himself. As Alice stood outside the door she knew that she had been right, the room was quiet and all she could hear was the long drawn out breaths that Edward took unnecessarily.

Alice only stood there for a moment before throwing the door open, pleased that it was not locked (for Esme would have had a fit if she had to replace another door) but saddened by what she saw. Edward stood looking out into the morning light, not an ounce of emotion on his face.

Edward had risen to his room but stood in a daze, unsure and at a loss for what to do. Standing seemed to be the only things he was capable of and as he stood quietly by the window-pained wall that bordered the west and far corner of his room, he remained deep in thought. The night's events had taken a turn that even Alice could not have anticipated and because of the emotional load that had been dumped on him, he struggled to find his way out again.

At first he had paced, but after realising that he was wearing a small groove into the floor chastised himself and sat down. Sitting still didn't help his gnawing thoughts either and he felt his endless patience slipping away. It was very difficult, sitting there while all of his thoughts played like flash card illustrations, clear and concise yet painful and difficult in their own way. It was a solid minute before he realised he couldn't take it anymore, the onslaught of images pushing him over the edge and he sprung up again, resuming his march.

It had been more than ten hours since Bella and Chase had left, though not even the severity of their actions could deter him from the difficult situation he was put in. He stood looking out into the dark night, his brilliant eyes seeing the unseen yet he noticed nothing, his thoughts were miles away.

He cringed, couldn't help the torrent of emotions that flooded through him at the mere thought of the night's events. While they had both surprised and astonished him that the secrets that Bella had been keeping had been about _him _and his family he wasn't sure how he felt about them (even now after staying in his room all this time).

Much like the bombardment of foreign emotions Jasper often experienced, he related the abnormal assault of anger, fear, unexplainable pain and finally the hurt that came with Bella's explanations. Other emotions resided within him, surfacing with each sweep his memory uncovered.

It was easy to remember feeling irrationally angry when he had spoken words that were completely of the moment. He had fled, and now felt ashamed that he could not converse the feelings of regret he felt for his rash and thoughtless response. He shook his head, while he had been understandably angry; the way he had been raised did not at all condone such behaviour. He thought now to the look that his mother would have had if she had heard him speak that way in the presence of a lady. She would have been appalled, embarrassed then saddened and disappointed in his behaviour. He found that even without her presence and the long gap in the time that he had known her did not dissuade his mannerisms, for he too reacted in such a way. The appal came swiftly after he had reached the stairs and rooted him to the spot. The only thing that had kept him upstairs was Bella's voice saying that she had never wanted this.

Carelessly at first, he began to pace, messing up the small rug in his room and applying a little too much force in his steps, but analysing and re-evaluating the night. When he reached his reaction towards Bella's words, shame set in and only the quiet click of the door raised him out of the abyss that he had fallen face first into. He was further shamed when he heard the words Alice meant for him, that he shouldn't 'judge people so quickly'. He didn't know if it was Alice's own anger that had driven her to say those words, but they did the trick in making him feel even more embarrassed and saddened that he had revisited his old ways of playing god and judging for himself what was right and wrong. Upon returning to Carlisle he had begged and pleaded for his return and had sworn that he would never again assume that role. Now, almost a century later he was passing snap judgements again, although in a lesser demand, it was still called foul by his sister Alice.

He banged his hand against the glass, frustrated again by his behaviour. It was late morning now, and the sun was slowly making it to the highest point in the sky in one of Forks rare sunny days.

Edward lowered his head and spread both hands out in front of him on the glass wall. He was in a rut, it seemed that every emotion he had experienced in the past twelve hours were colliding with one another inside of him, each fighting while still battling for the front seat in his conscious.

He was at odds with what to do, he did often have an excellent poker face, but the hand that Bella had shown him had truly taken him by surprise and he had done the equivalent of crying out in outrage and flipping the table over as he stormed away from the game.

Ten miles out into the forest he could hear the distinct footfalls of his siblings returning after a morning of 'rest'. He hadn't seen any of them since last night, and now he was afraid.

As he lifted his head up to look out of the widow-wall he grimaced, a spider like fracture stretched out from where his hand had been only moments before. The bruise made the powerful glass seem flimsy and he knew that when Esme saw it she would be livid, he had stoked the flames last night with his blatant anger and disrespect, but now he was afraid that this would push her over the edge.

Thoughts of Esme brought despair, because it reminded him of the rest of his family. He had been selfish in his reaction. He was not the only one that Bella and Chase had deceived and yet he had stormed upstairs like an immature child. He felt helpless in his self-appointed isolation. There were so many things he wanted to talk to his family about, yet his turbulent emotions kept a front seat of his attention. He couldn't believe how unstable he was right now, it was like being a newborn all over again, new sights, new sounds, and new experiences, however this similar trip was a less thrilling adventure because he found it was taking him to places he didn't want to be.

He turned away from the glass, afraid that if he remained he would damage it further. He could hear no sounds from who he guessed were Alice and Jasper far into the woods, but it didn't matter, he honestly had other things to worry about at the moment. Edward sighed and lay down on his black leather sofa; if he had all of the answers he wouldn't be so overwhelmed right at this moment.

Unable to continue to sit still, he sprung up again, moving to the window wall once more.

Against his will the flash card illustrations crept up again and Edward saw along with his reflection the faces of his family from the night before. He could see them clearly, his vampiric memory reproducing a perfect reproduction of both Bella and Chase's words as they revealed that they knew more than they had let on. It was like a slide show, Bella saying that he was like the rest of the monsters she'd met. Chase saying that he was simply leverage for 'later'. Bella telling him she was a witch and was marked by 'the power'. The memory and the irrational fear that accompanied it when he realised that Bella would soon ascend.

And then the uncontrollable surge of anger that came when Chase had basically stated that if they didn't help them then the Volturi would surely end them. The kill or be killed life of a vampire followed them wherever they went, but there was no denying that it had been invited into their lives this time, and not with their consent.

Bella had been acting when she was about to associate herself with his family, he had realised. The sudden surge of anger and protectiveness were, at the time, justified but now seemed like a streak of snap judgements made on other people.

Now, given the time he had to reflect, he could not be more ashamed of his behaviour. He had been angry and hurt that Bella had chosen to do the things she had, but the close relationship he had established with her had caused that hurt to be so much deeper. When Bella had revealed that what they had, what they had been working towards was simply a matter of convenience and was not real, he had been crushed.

He had immediately shied away from that reality, but now he realised why Bella had been so reluctant to share parts of herself with him. It was because she hadn't wanted to share something so personal with _him._ It was all making sense now, why their relationship had had a slow and stunted start, why they had struggled with honesty and why it had been so difficult for her to let him in. While he had appreciated her caution at the time, now he understood that it had been a little one sided, and their relationship had almost always revolved around her.

He heard her before he saw her. The stranger of a language in which she was thinking in made him pause for a second and he struggled to decode it. It was not very often that he was surprised or unable to unravel something, however now-a-days he was simply reserved to the fact that it was an inevitability.

Sighing, he shifted his gaze to the blurring smock of black/brown hair that sped through the tree line and then across the front yard. He had been waiting for it and now he had less than a second to prepare himself for the onslaught of _Alice._

His eyes remained open, but his whole body tensed in preparation. He stood tall, and ready, however not a bit of that emotion played on his demeanour at all.

"Edward." Alice said. It came out as a sigh, and held more of a pleading tone to it than ever, but still Edward remained passive. He did not wish to engage his emotions at all anymore and the less he involved himself the better.

"Edward?" Alice tried again. Looking briefly into the immediate future she could see that he wasn't going to answer, but she didn't need her visions to tell her that, she could see that Edward was emotionally detaching himself. She guessed that after the trauma the night had brought he was simply overwhelmed and though she understood, she could see that letting Edward process things at his own pace would take a hell of a lot more time than they had to deal with the whole 'Bella problem'.

Knowing Edward was listening to everything she said (because she had switched her inner monologue back to English) she decided to head straight to the point.

"Edward, you have to move past this."

She had spoken the words aloud, and was a little shocked to see such a lack of a response. She had assumed that with the turbulent emotions that had been floating through him he would have given her something, but then again she had forgotten that Edward had perfected his mask of indifference.

She pouted and huffed, then moved to sit on the black leather couch Edward had in his room. She stopped thinking in words and decided to work in her mind with images instead. It was something new she started trying that allowed her to think without having Edward in her head so to speak, as long as she didn't associate any words with the pictures she imagined then she usually succeeded in confusing him.

Alice sat back; she needed a way in which to spring Edward into action. If anything, she knew which topic would cause the biggest reaction, but she knew if she wasn't careful that her plan would backfire and Edward would react negatively.

She narrowed her eyes in concentration and thought of a huge brick wall while she translated her thoughts back to Flemish.

Ever since Chase had released whatever hold he had had on both Alice's and Edward's abilities visions had been practically non-stop for her. They hit suddenly and without warning like always, but what was different was the absolute clarity in which she saw them. They looked definite, and that frightened her because some of the things she had seen were not the most comforting.

Finally deciding on a vision she let it play out in her mind, taking down the mental wall and letting Edward watch.

_Edward and Bella sat in the middle of the forest, alone. They sky was light and cold, as the morning descended on them. There were hardly and sounds coming from animals around them, most likely because they felt his presence near._

_Bella leaned back into the grass, the flowers were in full bloom and folded against her as she tucked into Edwards side. They were happy, it was easy to see. Edward tucked a stray hair out of Bella's face and whispered in her ear, "Happy graduation!"_

_Bella giggled, and then blushed because she had giggled and rolled over so she was on top of him. "And what number will this one make it for you?"_

_Edward stretched his arms behind his head and sighed, "The 43rd."_

_Bella's laugh filled the space and she clutched her stomach trying to hold it in._

_When she had stopped she sat up on her knees, "I'm sowry," she said in the best baby voice she could imitate, "but dowes the big scawry vampire hate gowing to sckool?"_

_Edward scoffed and pushed her slightly. Bella, not expecting slammed into the undergrowth underneath her, startled._

_"Bella!"_

_He was over her in an instant, moving his hands over her small frame afraid to touch her. "Bella, are you okay?"_

_She opened her eyes slowly and looked at him. Edward's face hovered over hers and he looked into her eyes trying to asses that she was okay._

_Bella smiled, and then reached her hands up to cup his face. "I'm okay."_

_She kissed him then, and Edward being so surprised didn't move. Bella wasn't deterred and hitched her leg over his._

"No Alice!"

Edward had finally had enough.

He turned around and glared at Alice but she could plainly see the fear on his face.

"Edward it will happen."

He shook his head and grabbed his hair.

"Like hell it will."

He didn't mean to be so crass, but there was no way that he could allow that outcome to pass. He could admit that he cared for Bella, probably more than he should, but he realised now that Rosalie had been right, he shouldn't have gotten as close to her as he did; last night had proved that.

"You love her."

If Edward had been human he would have coughed, reviewing his immortal status he could not but still he had a similar reaction. He didn't answer Alice, with the small excuse that he did not know what to say. He could deny it, but he was not sure if he would be lying or not and Alice knew him so well it was pointless to lie. Did he love Bella?

Alice watched him and the emotions that seemed to war within him, if was difficult to guess what he was thinking but she knew that if there was going to be any kind of progress then she would have to push him farther.

She took a deep breath. "They mean us no harm."

Edward paused in his thoughts and couldn't help the unnatural anger that boiled up inside of him.

"They have been lying to us this entire time!"

Alice sighed. "Can you blame them, after what they've told us about their life? That's warranted for a couple of secrets."

"A couple?"

"Well you can't exactly call yourself a saint in that area."

"They lied to our faces Alice, you heard Bella lie about the fire."

"They don't know we know about that."

"After all we've found out about them, I'm not sure we can assume anything about them anymore."

Alice paused and decided that she needed to be blunt.

"Edward, if you don't patch things up with Bella then most of the family will die."

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a/n A reviwer brought up some interesting points that I'm sure some of you are wondering.

#1) Why do Bella and Chase need the Cullen's?

#2) How would the Cullen's be able to help them? Especially when the Cullen's are 'weaker' than Bella and Chase?

My answer: It would be easy for Bella and Chase to take on one vampire each no problem with their powers, but if Aro were to ever become a problem (and he will) he will not come alone to collect, he will bring the entire guard, and with Chelsea he will stand a chance at collecting.

Remember Chelsea sways a person's loyalty.

How the Cullen's will be able to help will become apparent in later chapters.

Also I don't see the Cullen's as "weaker" but more durable, Bella and Chase are powerful, yes, but they are human. A major, weakness.

They can only fight as much as their bodies will allow, and as vampires the Cullen's will be able to withstand pretty much anything short of Bella/ Chase lighting them on fire.

Tehee.


	24. Chapter 22

a/n I can't say how sorry I am for such a long wait.

a/n Be prepared, there are a lot of flashbacks in this chapter. **Remember** _Italics_ are past events and everything else is present.

a/n I don't own it, I didn't write it. On with the show!

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Chapter 22- Tracker

_He had arrived the day before yesterday and had been traveling north-east for a short time._

_Aro had made it clear that he was to remain un-seen, so he had rested in the background. Staying only close enough to observe yet remain hidden._

_But he was watching._

The night had descended slowly and Bella had yet to sleep. It was draining, what she and Chase had just done and she could not have imagined it going worse.

As she stared up at the ceiling of her room she recalled how the night had gone. The pained look on Edward's face as she explained that their relationship was 'just part of the plan' was excruciating, but what Bella found more painful was that he was justified in feeling that way because she had, in fact, used him.

Bella knew it had been coming, from the first time she'd seen Esme she realised that they were the reason they were in Forks. Even then she feared what their reaction would be. Knowing now that Edward would likely never speak to her again hurt, but she had no one to blame but herself.

Bella shifted in her bed as she noticed the small glowing of sunrise slowly lighting her room, and groaned .She had stayed up all night. She pushed back against her pillows and sat against her headboard watching the sun rise, wondering what Edward was doing now. With all of the turmoil from the night before, she knew that there was no way that she could consciously attend school, not when she'd had zero sleep. The only thing that tempted her was the possibility that the Cullen's might be there. However after last night, she doubted even they would show up for their usual routines.

Edward storming out of the Cullen's living room was the last memory Bella had of him; she didn't know if he would ever come to forgive her.

_Am I now utterly pathetic, _she thought?

Bella scoffed and rolled her eyes, but sighed as she realised that she was close to being that pathetic girl she tried so hard not to be. She pulled out her phone, looking at it; she knew that if she even dared to call him now that she would be revealing herself to be exactly as pathetic as she feared.

She flipped her phone closed, resigned that even if she did have the guts to call he would probably never answer anyway. She had seen the way that he had looked at her after every small omission last night. And then he had thrown the night in the alley back in her face as if she were some careless sociopath. Coming from a vampire it was laughable, but Bella knew that Edward held human life in high regard and it frightened her a little that someone whose baser-instinct was to kill people found her exploits unstable.

She sighed and looked out the window, noticing for the first time in the immediate light several small scratches on one of the panes. They were small and were in some sort of zigzag motion. She got up to examine, touching the class she realised it was smooth. Bella narrowed her eyes; the scratches were on the outside and not on the inside. She opened the window, as if doing so would reveal some-sort of explanation but there was none. The only branch that was close to her window was several metres away, and several feet above her. She furrowed her brow and pulled the window down a little to feel the scratches, as soon as she touched them, she realised that they weren't deep and were only surface scratches caused perhaps by an animal or a falling branch. Neither made sense though, because no animal she knew would randomly scratch at a window unless it was to get at food, and there was never any in her room. And any stray branch that fell would have to be extraordinarily close to the window to be able to leave a scratch like that.

Bella closed the window and sat back on her bed, she decided that where a small scratch came from wasn't all that important and decided to go and get some breakfast. She climbed off her bed and went downstairs, pausing at the base of the stairs slightly confused at the sight before her. Chase was standing over the stove shuffling a frying pan and muttering under his breath.

"What are you doing?"

Chase turned around with the frying pan in his hand and gave her a sheepish smile.

"I thought I'd cook breakfast. It can't be as hard as it looks right?"

She stared for a beat too long before taking a seat on one of the barstools that cluttered their kitchen. She thought back over the years and could not for the life of her think of a time that she had seen Chase in the kitchen, let alone cooking in it. Chase picking up on her incredulous stare returned it.

"What?" He finally asked.

"I've never seen you in the kitchen before, let alone cooking in it." Bella voiced her thoughts.

Chase shrugged, "there's always a first time for everything. Besides, I thought you'd be hungry...after what happened last night."

Chase was slightly uncomfortable with mentioning it, but knew with absolute certainty that they couldn't just ignore the giant elephant in the room.

Bella rubbed her arm in what was supposed to be for comfort, she knew that what she had done was more than a little shady and she hated herself a little for what had happened with Edward and the Cullen's.

"We fucked up." She stated simply.

Chase nodded, and collected the toast from the toaster.

"Yes, we did."

Bella made a sound that was between a cry and a huff before getting up and going over to the fridge. She rifled around until she came up with orange juiced in her hand holding it for a second before she slammed the door to the refrigerator shut.

She stood there for a moment, contemplating for what felt like the hundredth time the previous night's events. It was overwhelming, their reality. Not only were they supposed to be something Bella was sure they weren't, but they couldn't do it alone and therefore had to lie and cheat.

It all mounted to a point where Bella couldn't stand it anymore. The juice carton dropped to the floor but Bella didn't pay it any mind, the emotions welling within her had her wanting to shout out. She wanted to yell and scream that it wasn't fair; that they shouldn't have to deal with this kind of stuff and that things had gotten way out of hand. Bella didn't realise until Chase sat down beside her that she had become a crying heap on the floor.

"Why does everything have to be so hard?" She asked Chase who had cradled her head in his lap.

"Because when it's dull it ain't as much fun."

He was hoping he'd make her laugh, but he discovered very quickly that Bella wasn't in the mood for that kind of shit when she glared at him with dark eyes.

_Un-fucking believable _he heard in his mind.

As Chase looked down at her he struggled to remember the last time she had used her gift.

"_CHASE?"_

_The raw wood, burning and charring, had caused such an undisturbed noise, such a remarkably dense sound that it seemed the ambient red and orange was consuming her voice along with the free oxygen that fuelled this fire._

"_Chase?" She tried again._

_She wondered if it would be as impossible to be heard as it was to be seen._

_Surely it was as impossible; the flames from the barn licked the sides of the building like and overzealous child coveting a precious fruit. It didn't matter that Bella had additional powers to her arsenal. Fire won them all out._

_What do I do? Bella wondered._

_..._

_Bella took a calming breath before heading headlong into the inferno. She was trying, fruitlessly, to convince herself that she wasn't as scared as she was in reality._

_Bella stepped into the barely there entry that the burning barn allowed, fire was everywhere; she couldn't see anything else but orange and red._

_To the left, and to the right, everything was aflame._

"_Chase?'_

_..._

"_Chase?"_

"_Bella?"_

_Bella looked around; Chase was slumped against the doorway with a worried expression on his face._

"_Were you listening to me?"_

_Bella shook her head once, both trying to dislodge her troublesome thoughts and seem less crazy then she felt._

_"Yes, no, I don't even know anymore. We need to get you out of here."_

_She lifted him with her arms around his torso and quickly moved towards the side of the barn. Trying in vain to move quicker than fire._

_"Bella," She turned to look at Chase, "it's no use, you know what you need to do."_

_She looked frightened from what Chase could see, but he knew that the only way they could get out now was to disappear, literally._

"_We'll say the words together." He reassured her._

_She nodded her head slightly and tightened her hold on him, channelling The Power and asking for its help, now in her time of need._

"_Nos postulo vos iam. Permoveo nos, accipio nos, suscitatio nos." __They chanted together__.*_

_They both felt the shift. It was like traveling as water vapour. They could feel the ground moving beneath them but neither of them knew where or what they were. One minute they were in an inferno, and the next they were standing in the cool night completely whole. As she looked around, she hoped that that they were somewhere out of state, preferably near a hospital. As luck would have it she instantly saw the bright lights and the plasma screens. New York._

_The bright lights of the city lit-up the water and made the previous two-hours a lot easier to accept. They breathed easy for a moment but sobered when Chase wheezed out a scream._

"_Shit are you okay?" Bella asked sitting up, only to be met with her own pain. She screamed aloud as the pain tore through her back and side leaving icy-hot chills up her spine._

"_We need to get help." She said. It took some time, but she managed to stand-up with Chase in-tow struggling to walk beside her. She was sure that something of his was broken, and even more positive that she had burns on her back thanks to something she had brushed up against._

_They both limped out of the grass, moving away from the small thicket they had landed themselves in and slowly began making their way towards the lights._

Several days passed before Chase and Bella decided that they should try to talk to the Cullen's about everything. They had both already agreed that they needed to stick close to them, after all there was no way that they could face the vampire guard alone.

Chase had tried to approach the Cullen's with a nervous Bella in tow; however they had been herded by Alice, who had said that as a family they needed a bit more time to come to terms with everything. Chase had been uncharacteristically diplomatic with his response while Bella had dejectedly stared at Edward who had been sitting at his usual lunch table staring obliviously into space.

It was now the first week of June, it had been a week since Bella and Chase had confronted the Cullen's about their problem, with little to no result.

"They hate us."

"Don't be melodramatic; they don't know what to think. If anything they think we're lying." Chase said.

"How is that a good thing?" Bella said in exasperation.

"I didn't say it was it just is what it is."

And so it continued, Bella would watch Edward's table at school, convinced that one day he and his family just wouldn't show up. But every day, she was proven wrong. They still came, day after day, but Edward's appearances were few and far between.

Bella knew she had hurt him, but his constant disappearing acts were starting to piss her off. How was it that she could show up every day but it was too troubling for him to? Bella knew that things couldn't just be forgiven with a handshake, but at least she and Chase were willing to communicate, the Cullen's hadn't made a move either way to show them what they were planning.

By Thursday Bella had had enough. Edward had been characteristically avoiding her, much like the rest of the Cullen's had and she had no way to know what was going on. There was only one month left before her birthday and that in itself was a little startling.

Bella was in her last period of class when she spotted t familiar head of copper hair bobbing through the crowd of students. She slammed her locker shut, if she wanted to catch him she would have to be fast. She pushed past a group of girls that were excitedly talking about prom and ran down the hallway. She made it to the door; she threw it open, and marched out to the parking lot where she spotted the quintuplets by their cars. Seeing them didn't do anything to help Bella's simmering rage, they were all standing around oblivious to what was going on around them. Bella smiled, there was only one way to get them to talk and it was the only way Bella knew how.

She marched over to where Edward was parked. Edward turned toward Rosalie, she had been yelling at him in her head that his girlfriend was about to cause a scene. Edward hadn't believed it, and was about to tell Rosalie to knock it off, when Emmett muttered something about an irate Bella heading towards him. Edward turned around baffled, surprised first that Emmett was not lying. Bella was indeed making a beeline for him, and judging on her speed, she was beyond pissed.

"_Oh shit." _Emmett hissed.

Bella walked right up to him pushing her arm out and shoving him forcefully. For any normal human that would have been impossible, but Edward noticed that Bella's eyes were now pitch black and angry.

"Edward Cullen I have very little patience to deal with your swirling emotions, but whether you like it or not you are going to talk to me!"

Edward backed up some and looked to his left and right. Several people were staring at them including what Edward considered to be some of the schools most gossip hungry students. Lucky for them Bella's had her back to the school but accidents could easily happen and he didn't want a bunch of teenage children witnessing it.

Without saying a word he gently grabbed Bella's arms and dragged her towards his car.

He carefully shoved her in before entering the car himself. "Are you crazy? There are at least fifty people staring at us in the parking lot, do you think this is really the best place to 'talk'?"

Bella huffed and rolled her eyes, relaxing they returned to their normal colour, but that didn't mean that she was any less angry.

"Edward I suggest you start the car before I put you through the windshield."

Edward's eyes widened slightly and she could tell he was wondering whether or not she could really do such a thing. After a while of looking into her eyes he started the car, deciding that he really didn't want to know.

They drove for a while seemingly without purpose, until Edward stopped in the middle of the road. Bella couldn't tell where they were as they had followed a route that was off course, but she was too angry to care, so they both stepped out of the car.

Bella slammed the door and walked around to the side, angrily muttering to herself. Edward stood there, looking at her for a moment before stepping off into the trees, he was sure that she would notice eventually and he really didn't want to provoke her right now.

Bella noticed that Edward was moving towards the woods and decided to follow, she didn't know where he was taking her, but she knew if it came down to it, her powers would protect her.

They both hiked for a while, following a trail that led from where their car was parked far into the forest. They both kept silent, trudging through the undergrowth at a slow but, human pace. Bella soon grew wary of Edward's silence; did he even know where he was going? It didn't help that Edward deviated from the path after an hour from the start. The move was slow, it felt as though they were ascending and Bella could tell now that they weren't on a busy path. Edward moved with purpose, it was in the way he moved, Bella could tell that he did, in fact know where he was going.

As they moved, Bella's anger warred with the frustration she felt at the little twigs and branches that stood in her way. Each branch Edward moved out of the way had six prickly cousins; she knew she had more than one scratch on her because of the sharp leaves and branches. Bella stumbled so much that soon Edward walked beside her, helping her along as though she was a frail little child.

_Chase knew that using his credit card so soon after the accident was a stupid idea, so he allowed Bella to pay for the things they needed._

_They had found a small little motel on the outskirts of the city to settle. Their main goal was to rest, and rest in a place where people didn't ask a lot of questions. The owner of the motel barely looked at them when they checked in, and had only asked for I.D. when Bella had nervously asked him if they needed to show it. It seemed like the perfect place to lay low for a while._

_Chase looked over at Bella. She had just had a shower and her hair was still wet, but she wore loose clothes so that her back wouldn't burn and itch when she moved. Looking at her, Chase could tell that she wasn't in the best of moods. He hated the fact that Bella had had to say goodbye to her family because of him, but he knew no other option. Their lives were moving forward in a way that the Swan's just didn't like._

_All that mattered to him now was that they could move on without being dragged back._

Bella was huffing with the exertion of their hike when the trees started to thin out. Bella didn't know if this was their destination but she was more than ready for a breather. The closer they got to the clearing, the more light flooded in at them, Bella noticed that everything around them was alive, the flowers, the ferns and the trees were all thriving in the heavily precipitated area. Bella was amazed at her surroundings, it was all so beautiful. Looking around she was surprised that a place like this could exist, let alone that it could be found.

She turned to ask Edward how he had managed to find this place but he wasn't beside her. She turned around and searched, and found him back in the tree-line where the light was still dense. Bella noticed how much he stood out with his bright golden eyes.

"Why are you back there?" Bella asked.

"You might not know everything about vampires if you have to ask that."

Bella rolled her eyes at Edwards comment but remembered her anger, huffing slightly for good measure.

"It seems that we've both kept things from each other."

Edward nodded sombrely then slowly edged into the sunlight. The surface of his skin exploded into thousands of rays of light. Bella was immediately taken aback, so many myths she knew of were false yet as she watched Edward move in the sunlight she wondered if the myth about sunlight stemmed from this.

It was almost like looking into a prism. Repeated over and over again on every surface of Edward's skin were shattered reflection. Every time he moved a different facet was exposed.

"Holy shit!"

He smirked as he moved close to her. "Yes, 'holy shit' indeed."

Edward walked up to her and took her hand encasing it in his before slowly dragging her to sit down beside him.

"I believe that you wanted to talk?"

Bella shook her head to clear it before coming back to what she wanted to talk to Edward about.

She breathed in and began, "I know that we haven't exactly had a great start, but we, me and my brother still need your help. I know that we've all but demanded it, but well I'm not really the patient kind."

Edward raised his brows, "I hadn't noticed."

Bella crossed her arms and pursed her lips, "Are you and your family going to help us or not?"

Edward laid back into the grass, "very subtle, Bella."

Bella huffed and threw her arms up into the air, "Well I don't have much of a choice now do I? Everything we told you is true; I don't think it's a coincidence that Chase and I are twins. People are after us, I know it!"

Edward didn't look at her when he said it, but his next words crushed her.

"And why should we help you after you've done nothing but lie to us?"

Bella stared at him speechless for a moment. "If you don't we'll die."

Edward turned to look at her.

"And I guess that was all part of your plan."

"Edward, look at me! It may have started out as me wanting to use you, but it isn't like that. I know you care about me, but I care about you too!"

She had refrained from saying love.

"I know we've lied to you, but so have you and don't pretend you haven't. I know its not the same but we came to you because we thought you were the only ones that could help us. Without eating us that is."

Edward smiled.

"How do you want us to help you exactly?"

Bella smiled to herself before faking her exasperation.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? I want your help against the Volturi; the vampire coven in Italy. We know they control everything, we know it's them that are after us."

Edward didn't say anything just sat there staring into the sky. After a moment he spoke, though his question was serious, his tone was light.

"How do you know they are after you?"

_Chase rushed into the Hotel room and slammed the door. He locked it, then flicked the dead bolt. Quickly he ran to close the curtains nearest to the door, then repeated this for the two other windows in the room before going to find Bella._

_He could hear running water coming from the bathroom and guessed she was in the shower. Chase knew that Bella would easily be extremely angry with him for what he was about to do, but this couldn't wait._

_He opened the door quickly shut it; he could tell Bella heard him but she didn't turn off the water, so he flushed the toilet._

"_MOTHERFUCK. CHASE!"_

_He cringed slightly but was relieved that he had gotten her attention._

"_Leave the water on." He urged._

"_I am going to fucking kill you!" Bella screamed._

"_Get out, we need to talk" he said._

_Bella grumbled but did as he asked, as soon as she got out He turned around, trying not to be embarrassed. When Bella punched him he was not surprised, but that didn't make it hurt any less._

"_Ow, Jesus. Listen, I saw him again."_

"_What?"_

"_The guy. I saw him again."_

"_the one from before?" Bella asked, suddenly serious._

"_Yes, he's following us."_

_Chase was sure of this and knew that they couldn't stay there for long, whoever he was he wanted something._

Bella relayed the memory to Edward who lay in the grass listening.

"Chase said he was wearing a cloak. And a necklace, it was in the shape of a V and it matched..."

"Matched?" Edward questioned.

"It matched our dreams –memories, whatever. The point is that man was following us for a reason."

"What did the necklace look like?" Edward asked. He was hoping that Bella wouldn't be able to say, or that her description wouldn't match the picture he had in his mind.

Bella thought for a minute, "It looked...old. It was made of brass I think and had rubies in it."

Edward closed his eyes, unhappy.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, there was a crest in the middle; it had a tree and some kind of bird I think."

Edward opened his eyes as he looked at the sky. Of course that matched the detailed and particular V that was the Volturi's crest.

"That sounds a lot like the Volturi's crest."

Bella turned to look at him, "Are you sure?"

Edward nodded, "there is a picture of the Volturi at our house, Aro is wearing a necklace like the one you've described."

Bella said nothing, suddenly nauseous. She'd known for a while that someone was following her, only to discover that the people after them weren't after them, per se, but after power. She finally understood, these people had been after her family for _centuries_ and they wouldn't stop until they had her and Chase.

Edward looked over to an uncharacteristically silent Bella. Truthfully, he didn't know what to say, but the gentle breeze that blew through the clearing made him feel like he didn't have to. He didn't often immerse himself in human's lives enough to have to comfort them, so he was unsure how exactly to go about it.

"What will you do?" He asked, curious of her answer.

She looked at him sadly, unsure even as she said the words if they were true, "the only thing we can. Fight."

Edward looked away suddenly ashamed of himself. He had sworn to himself that he would not get involved any further than he already was. He and Bella had such a precarious relationship that he didn't ever want to get too close again, for fear that yet again she'd lie and he'd risk more feelings on her than he was willing to give.

He couldn't help it though, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, his frozen heart thawed at how beautifully venerable was right now. He marveled at how she never let anyone see it, anyone but him anyways.

He couldn't sit here and let her suffer any longer. Doing the only thing he could think of he sat up and turned to look at her. Slowly stroking her face he let the dam break.

"My family and I have decided to help you."

* * *

**a/n I've changed so many things about the story and the characters already that I thought I'd keep some things the same, Edward still sparkles, but in a less glittery and more diamond/ crystal way.**

_*****_**We need you now. Move us, accept us, awaken us.**

Volturi necklace is on my profile


	25. Chapter 23

a/n SOOOOOOOOO sorry for the long absence. I can't explain how sorry I am. RL and a bunch of other commitments, blah, blah blah.

a/n Who saw Breaking Dawn? Hands up!

Anyone like it, didn't like it?

I think it was well done, and like it best of the other three. I just can't get over that name though, _Renesmee. _Grrr.

a/n Who has seen the Hunger Games? Hands up!

Love that series and I loved the movie, it was amazing!

* * *

Chapter 23- Simple anxiety

_"My family and I have decided to help you."_

Relief flooded her features' as Edward's words. "Really? You'll help us?"

Edward sat back. "Yes, we were going to anyway, most of us feel strongly about your situation and want to help, the Volturi has no business forcing you into anything."

Bella inwardly cringed at the 'most of us' Edward had uttered, but the rest of her was significantly relieved that she and Chase would not have to face off against a horde of vampires alone. She relaxed into the grass and let out a sigh of relief. Now she only had to worry about the fact that Vampire royalty are threatening to pay her and Chase a visit. Sitting there next to Edward she began to feel like the biggest charity case in the world, but she had no idea how to apologise for it. She couldn't worry about that though; there was a limited amount of time left. Her birthday was in less than a month, and if she was right then the Volturi would try to visit them around that time.

Bella stood up and began to pace. That had to be it. When would they be at their strongest?

Immediately after they ascended.

Edward's eyes followed Bella's pacing. A part of him was still angry with her, but he knew that Bella had only done what she had because she had been trying to stay alive, something he couldn't fault.

As of late Alice's visions had been reassuring. True, the first one she'd had had ended in massacre, but after Edward himself had decided to help Bella and Chase things seemed to calm down somewhat. Edward guessed whatever Aro would try could not be done in front of his whole coven.

Bella began fidgeting again, "I can't even sit still." She turned to look at him suspiciously, "why aren't you more worried?"

Edward turned to look at her seriously, "Because the Volturi mainly consists of Aro and his trophies. I will be surprised if he even makes the trip. We'll most likely be seeing Jane, Demetri and any other cronies Aro wants to expend. Trust me it's not going to be a big deal; they've tried to recruit me as well. You just tell them no and that's that."

Edward reached out and cupped her face. His intention was to calm her some, but Bella's heart only sped up. Her mind surprisingly blank, every worry Bella had had vanished and was replaced with nothing; the small fact that Edward was touching her seemed to be her body's only concern.

Edward moved in a fraction of an inch and said, "I want to try something. Don't move."

Edward moved in at a snail's pace. It was more difficult than he imagined to get closer to her while breathing in her scent and listening to her heart beat. When Edward felt the heat from her breath reach him, he stopped breathing. He moved his hand down to the nape of her neck and pushed his hands into her hair. At the same time, Bella leaned forward into Edward and closed her eyes.

Their lips touched for the slightest moment before Edward began to pull away.

For a fraction of a second they both stared at each other, and then they both moved away from each other, suddenly embarrassed.

Edward was suddenly aware of how such an intimate moment could lead to what he'd seen in Alice's vision. That moment he'd seen in Alice's' vision had happened around the time of graduation, which was fast approaching. He and Bella had been (surprisingly) happy together. They had something that he would never guess at, and had it not been for the fact that he had seen it, he would never have believed it would be possible. That vision in particular had shocked and scared him. It was often -since he had been in Alice's company for what felt now like an eternity- that he would see into Alice's visions, but nothing like what he'd seen had ever happened before. He was quite unsure how to react when it came to the prospect of love.

And with a human no less!

Edward raised his hands and ran them down his face, frustrated. The image of Bella pinned beneath him was hard to ignore. It would in fact happen close to where they were now laying; the small change being that the thriving flowers surrounding the meadow were all that was missing. The stiff buds that now surrounded them were soon to blossom, but in how long?

What most consumed Edward was whether he wanted to let the vision play out or avoid the situation altogether. What could the repercussions be?

He felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. It was a text from Alice. All it said was: _Ask her!_

He had no idea what that meant. Everything with Bella seemed to tip him off-kilter, and was either deeply personal or unspoken between them. At this moment he wasn't sure what to do.

Bella lay back in the grass looking up into the sky, pondering what had just happened. She tried to play off the moment as some sort of slip of control and nothing more, as she secretly hoped it had been but all was in vain, she could feel the blood rising to her cheeks and looked away to hide it.

Besides, she had other things to worry about.

Beside her Edward coughed. She was startled, and wasn't sure she had ever heard such a sound come from him.

Edward quickly shoved his phone back into his pocket and turned to look at Bella whom he found staring at him.

He looked away quickly and stood up. He didn't have a purpose but he needed to put some distance between him and Bella. In his opinion, things were moving quite fast between them and he needed to slow them down. There were a lot of things that needed to be attended to before he could even think about a possible relationship with Bella.

Bella too, sat up. She wasn't quite sure what had changed Edward's mood but he had now taken up her pacing. His hair, which had previously been an unruly mess was now being hand-combed and pushed into all different types of directions.

He truly looked bizarre.

"Uh Edward are you okay?"

Edward gave one sharp nod but otherwise said nothing.

They stood in silence for a while, Edward staring off into the distance, Bella staring at him unsure of what to say.

Finally, after what felt like a long uncomfortable pause, Edward seemed to snap out of it. He stopped pacing and proposed that they begin the journey home.

"My house or yours?" Bella questioned.

Edward thought for a minute before concluding that hers was probably a better idea. "Things might be a bit tense at my house." He finished.

Bella didn't need him to say it, Rosalie would not want Bella anywhere near her. Sending her flying through the air might have been funny to her, but she was sure that the uptight blonde was just waiting for retribution.

Bella nodded and sat up, accepting the hand Edward offered and walking with it wrapped around hers for what she thought wasn't long enough. Edward gave another weird cough and started walking for the tree-line. Bella followed silently behind him.

The journey back towards the car was less treacherous than the one up to the meadow. The trees still seemed to be curved in a way that was not in their favour, but the steep incline was now a decline and this time around Bella had to watch the hidden rocks and branches.

Edward walked slowly in front of Bella, leading the way and also making sure that nothing was in her way, he had not done such a marvellous job on the way here and Bella became very irritable. It was safe to say that he would not be making the same mistake twice.

After about ten minutes of silence he decided to spark up a conversation.

"I thought you liked the outdoors." Edward said after Bella swore under her breath for the third time.

Bella shot him a look but eventually rolled her eyes. "Where did you get that?"

Edward smirked, "not a fan of long walks in the rain anymore?"

Bella stared at him in disbelief, "that was months ago. How did you hear about that?"

Edward shrugged and held up a branch for her to pass under. "I heard about it through the minds of about everyone in town."

Bella was stunned that he was being so honest with her and smiled.

"I must have been quite memorable."

Edward looked at her, suddenly serious. "You have no idea."

Bella looked over to him but Edward looked away.

The ground had begun to level out when Edward spoke again.

"It's funny you are so uncoordinated awake, yet you seem completely capable half asleep."

Bella stopped walking at once. "What?" She asked.

Edward stopped walking and swallowed hard, strangely terrified at what he had let slip. He struggled to say anything that would help him out of this situation while Bella stared at him heatedly.

"Uh, you just seem so uncoordinated right now, yet in the middle of the night-"

"- how do you know what I look like in the middle of the night?" Bella asked quickly.

"Well it was before we'd ever really talked, and then I just couldn't stay away." He rambled.

"What was before we ever talked?"

"Uh, I sort of watched you sleeping for a couple of months after you came to Forks."

Bella stared at him for a beat too long.

"You. Watched. Me. _Sleep_?"

The rage that had been delayed by her shock came in full force.

Edward was taken aback at the anger and shock in her voice and stumbled to answer her without incriminating himself further. Funnily enough, he'd seen Emmett in this situation with Rosalie countless times, heck even Jasper and Carlisle had been in the dog house over the years, yet he'd never had been in their position, but Bella was bringing a lot of things out of him.

"Bella I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but I promise you I did nothing inappropriate besides watching you sleep."

"Nothing inappropriate?" She squealed. Her fists bunched at her sides and she turned towards Edward, ready to slap him.

Edward saw the dark tint to her eyes and backed up slowly, hands raised as if he was retracting from a dangerous animal.

"Bella I-"

Edward found himself pinned against a nearby tree.

Bella growled lowly as she approached him. "I try my very hardest to be honest with you, I tell you everything about me and put my life on the line by confiding in you. I don't even argue with the way I've been treated, not when your sister jumps down my throat and not when you ask me, every, single detail. All Chase and I asked for was a little trust, but no, we don't deserve that." Bella spat sarcastically.

"What were you hoping to find, huh? Trade secrets? A criminal plot to expose you all? What exactly could you have gained from invading my privacy and embarrassing me in this way?"

Edward spoke the words that came to him without hesitating on whether or not it fit decorum.

"I wanted to know more about you. I wasn't sure who you were, whether you were who you really said you were. I know I had no right, but I was curious, and the more I got to know you, the more I realised I liked you, more than I should."

Bella stood staring at him cautiously, but let him go after she heard his confession.

Edward fell a short distance and landed on his feet easily.

Bella stared at him for a moment before walking away.

...

They both made it to the car but neither of them said a word. As Bella sat back against the cool leather she sighed with relief. It was times like these that she remembered the dull ache that would throb across the back of her torso when she so much as moved. Now, though there was only relief. The burn had gone, thanks to Dr. Francis.

Edward started the car, but kept silent. He was afraid Bella's feelings of hurt and betrayal were too strong.

When they pulled up to Bella's house Edward decided to speak.

"Bella, I know things between us haven't always been easy, but I'm going to do my best to change that."

Bella looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean by that?"

Edward struggled to explain himself, "I-I'm always here, if you need me."

Bella looked at Edward strangely, "O-kay then. I'll keep that in mind."

Edward huffed, "Look I'm sorry for being so distant I just think that it's the best way."

Bella turned to look at him sharply, "how can you say that? You tell me you're here for me but then say you have to be distant? What the fuck Edward?"

Edward cringed at the contradictory messages he was sending Bella. In all honesty he wanted to be able to open himself up to her, tell her about himself and enjoy a relationship close to the one Alice had seen, but he couldn't. Still, even after everything they had been through Edward would not kid himself into thinking he was good enough for Bella.

He was a murderer, many times over. And that was his baser instinct, to kill. Bella was experienced in many areas, but was innocent in that she hadn't lived long enough to see the way the world worked.

He wouldn't subject her to a lifetime with someone fighting his basic urge to kill her.

"Bella," he said cautiously, and turned to face her. Bella stopped walking and turned to look at him. She was confused by the pained look on his face, as Edward rarely showed so much of his thoughts through his facial expressions.

"Bella," Edward continued, "I can't be that person for you. I can't – we can't be together, in that way. I'm sorry."

Bella looked away. She couldn't deny that she was hurt, but more than that, Bella was stunned.

"So let me get this straight. You kiss me, and then you tell me we can't be together. Why?"

"Bella I'm sorry, but we have enough to worry about right now without worrying about… this."

"This, what Edward? God you're such a piece of work. Even after everything we've been through you still won't let me in. This is just like what happened with our science project. Are you going to disappear when things get complicated again? What is it about me that you seem to have a problem with?" Bella asked in exasperation.

"You know what never mind, if anything I realise now that I don't have the problem, you do."

Bella got out of the car and slammed the door.

…

Bella plunked down on her bed, wiping her hands down her face and groaning.

She sat up and put her head between her knees, trying to push away the queasy feeling that she felt rising within her. It had been a long day, and an even longer week and she was very tired. Bella was looking at the floor when she noticed something, or rather, missed something.

Her bag, the one that she used before she had come to Forks and had carried around with her everywhere. The same bag that she had stopped wearing strangely after she and Edward had begun to hang out.

It was missing.

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a/n Big thanks to my beta **LanaCullen**

**a/n Reviews please?**


	26. Chapter 24

a/n Special thanks as always goes to my beta lanacullen

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Chapter 24- Questions

Bella stared at the spot on the floor where her bag used to be. She tried to remember if she had put it somewhere else but came up with nothing.

She should be more concerned, but Edward had captured her attention and made her want to pull her hair out.

She replayed the evening in her mind.

Edward was all over the place. First he said that he was there for her and then he said that he needed his space. It was all so confusing. How was she supposed to react when she was told that she was wanted, but not romantically? If Bella was honest with herself, it was beyond hurtful. The way the Cullen's had treated her had not changed, and even though she was 'accepted' she was still regarded with caution and suspicion. Would this ever change? Bella didn't know, but if she had to guess then she would say no. The one thing that she'd learned while being around the Cullen's was that vampire's rarely change who they are.

Bella flung herself on her bed and closed her eyes. Was this worth it? She had found something she had never expected with Edward and yet it was one sided. She was not sure if Edward would ever trust her completely. Foolishly she had put what fragile trust she had left in him, and he had walked away with it. Bella did not want to turn into a bitter woman who scorned all men and was closed off to relationships because she had been burned, but she could not quite walk away scratch free.

She did not know what to do. She would feel foolish to just return to Edward after all he had done, but she couldn't help the craving of his company.

Bella stared at the phone. Should she call him? She had judged him very quickly and now she was second guessing her decision. She sighed, one night with Edward and all of her feelings were turned around. Before she'd come to Forks she'd let no one decide her fate, besides Chase, but Chase was family and she knew that he had her best interests at heart.

What did Edward really want?

That was a question she wasn't sure how to answer. The obvious answer was blood and to live his life inconspicuously but she wasn't sure if even that was right. What could she really say she knew about Edward other than his species? The more she thought about it the more her head began to throb. There were too many variables in her equation to consider.

Bella rolled over; the whole day had been a mess. It had started out nice but quickly turned to shit. The Volturi were coming, planning to do who knows what and her sole trump card rested with a family of vegetarian vampires. How and when did she and Chase back themselves into such a corner she wondered?

Then there was Edward; she cared about him that was for sure. It might not have started out as an honest relationship but it was definitely progressing genuinely. He was the first person she had ever let her guard down with and that was a big deal, but Bella wasn't so sure what was to come. How was she going to get Edward to trust her if she didn't trust him completely herself?

Bella picked up her pillow and stuck her face in it; she groaned loudly and tried to get any lingering frustration to leave her. It was a helpful exercise but she didn't quite feel as free as she hoped she would once she came up for air.

Bella stood up and went to the bathroom. She began to get ready for bed when her cell phone started to buzz. It had been put on vibrate, because Bella detested being interrupted by a cheesy ring or song lyric when she was in the middle of something. As her phone vibrated across the counter, she fought to catch it and not trip over her sleep pants at the same time.

"Hello?" she finally managed when she had righted herself.

"Bella, its Alice." Came a familiar voice. Bella stared at the phone in her hand for a second and wondered if she had the right phone. Alice had never called her before; hell she hadn't even given her her number.

"Alice?" She questioned when she had confirmed she was in fact, holding her phone.

"Yes, Bella I'm calling you, and not by mistake. I wanted to talk to you, in person. Do you think you could meet me somewhere, or could I come to you?"

Bella was a little dumbstruck and stayed silent for a second too long.

"Bella, I'm still here." Alice said.

"Sorry. Ah, yeah you can come by…I mean if you want, if that's better-''

"Great! I'll see you in ten minutes."

Bella was slow to respond. The dead air she was listening to only gave way when the line began to beep a signal that meant Alice had disconnected.

Bella stood there a moment, wondering what exactly had just happened. She hung up the phone and walked back into her room, slightly confused. What did Alice have to talk to her about that couldn't wait till they saw each other in school? Better yet, why did she want to meet alone without her family around?

Bella quickly stopped herself there; she was pretty sure why Alice didn't want the rest of her family around her.

She sat on her bed, deciding to wait there. Less than ten minutes later the phone rang, Bella picked it up, suddenly nervous.

"Hello?"

Alice chuckled, "Bella I'm outside, are you going to let me in?"

Bella immediately felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Where else had she expected Alice to show up? The front door was the obvious answer, yet she had secretly wondered if Alice would shove herself through her window. Bella shook her head, why on Earth would she think that?

"Right, I'll be right down." She said and hung up.

Bella was downstairs in seconds and pulling open the door to reveal an excited looking Alice.

"Hi Bella!"

"Hey Alice, uh what can I help you with?" Bella asked as Alice walked past her into the living room.

"Is your brother with us?" Alice asked instead.

"Uh he's in the garage. Do you want me to go and get him?"

"No, no, I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh." Bella couldn't hide her surprise. Alice had barely spoken to her before except for when she had told her to buzz off and she found this new found kinship strange.

Alice smiled and reached for Bella's hand. Bella didn't resist and followed Alice when she began to lead her to one of her couches. When they were both sitting down Alice started.

"Bella, I know you doubt Edward right now. I don't have to be psychic to know that."

Bella shrugged and looked into her lap, not sure what to say.

"Bella, I wanted to see you to tell you a little bit about my gift."

Bella didn't move her interest suddenly peaked. "Many of my visions shift constantly. The future is never concrete, people's opinions change all the time and therefore so do their outcomes."

Bella looked up, confused. "Why are you telling me this?"

Alice smiled. "What you might think is a dire situation now, doesn't necessarily give way to the future. Things change, people change and sometimes, vampires change."

Bella's eyes widened as she understood what Alice was referring to.

"Bella, I want to apologize for the way my family reacted to your news two weeks ago. We were surprised and caught off guard and definitely not expecting it… I know it might seem sudden but I'd like to be able to call you my friend. "

Bella stared at her with her mouth agape. Bella was used to dealing with Edward's rapid and quickly changing emotions, but what she had taken for granted was that the speed at which he expressed his emotions was the exception, not the rule. Alice seemed to be moving at a pace that was, at best, difficult to follow.

"What?"

Alice smiled, "Bella I know things between our families has been difficult. But we need to move past that if we are going to work together. I'm calling a shopping day. Me, you, Rosalie and Esme will spend the day together to get to know each other and then we will begin."

Before Bella could voice her reluctance Alice clapped her hands together and said, "Great! Tomorrow afternoon we'll all go."

"Wait, Alice!" Bella called. "What did you mean about beginning?"

Alice smiled sadly, "We will need to train before the Volturi come. Jasper wishes to teach you how to fight vampires, and how to avoid... death."

Bella nodded to herself, unaware that Alice had taken her leave.

She was unsure about training, but was more than certain that it was needed. There were very few ways to kill a vampire, and since Bella nor Chase had ever faced a vampire in a fight she needed all the practice they could get.

Bella was on the stairs when she realized what Alice had said before she had left.

"Shopping day?!"

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a/n Sorry for the lateness and the shortness. I am working on the next chapter though.


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